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ArticleJMIR research protocols2025

Intervention With WhatsApp Messaging to Compare the Effect of Self-Designed Messages and Standardized Messages in Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment in Young People Living With HIV in a Hospital in Lima, Peru: Protocol for a Nonblinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

Jeffrey Freidenson-Bejar, Dianne Espinoza, Rodrigo Calderon-Flores, Fernando Mejia, Elsa González-Lagos

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06500013 (Intervention With WhatsApp Messaging to Assess the Effect of Self-designed Messages and Standardized Messages in Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment in Young People Living With HIV in a Hospital in Lima, Peru), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06500013 naactive not recruitingnot on this map

Intervention With WhatsApp Messaging to Assess the Effect of Self-designed Messages and Standardized Messages in Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment in Young People Living With HIV in a Hospital in Lima, Peru: Randomized Control Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversidad Peruana Cayetano HerediaRan2024 to 2025Enrolled131ConditionsHIVArmsSelf-designed messages, Standardized messages
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Evaluation of post-discharge follow-up and clinical outcomes in patientsRevista de la Facultad de Ciencias Medicas (Cordoba, Argentina) · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jeffrey Freidenson-BejarSchool of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.ORCID 0009-0004-4751-1921
Dianne EspinozaInstituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.ORCID 0009-0002-0431-6961
Rodrigo Calderon-FloresSchool of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.ORCID 0000-0002-3457-8594
Fernando MejiaSchool of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.ORCID 0000-0001-8429-8833
Elsa González-LagosSchool of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.ORCID 0000-0002-8543-8188

Funding

Program for Advanced ReseArch Capacities for AIDS in Peru (PARACAS): harnessing implementation science to enhance care and reduce transmission of HIVD43TW009763 · FIC · UNIVERSIDAD PERUANA CAYETANO HEREDIA · PI GOTUZZO, EDUARDO, ZUNT, JOSEPH RAYMOND · 2014 to 2024
$3.2M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW009763
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundYoung people living with HIV face challenges in consistently adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Although mobile health interventions, particularly those using SMS text messaging, have been implemented to improve ART adherence, many lack a focus on specific behavioral mechanisms. Interventions incorporating behavioral change techniques (BCTs), especially those emphasizing customization, may enhance effectiveness. WhatsApp offers potential for delivering tailored, behaviorally grounded interventions with diverse communication features. We hypothesize that WhatsApp messages self-designed by participants, with spontaneous targeting of BCTs, could be more effective than standard WhatsApp messages designed by the researchers to improve ART adherence.

objectiveThe objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of WhatsApp messages created by participants (self-designed) compared to WhatsApp messages designed by the researchers (standardized) over adherence to ART at 16 weeks of intervention in young people living with HIV who receive HIV care under routine conditions at a public hospital in Lima, Peru.

methodsA 2-arm randomized controlled trial with a parallel assignment of 1:1, with no blinding of study intervention, was performed. Eligible participants are consenting people living with HIV aged 18-29 years who receive HIV care at the study center and whose mobile phones support WhatsApp. Following informed consent and a baseline survey on clinical and personal preferences (eg, timing and frequency of messages), participants are randomized to the control group (messages designed by the research team) or to the experimental group (messages designed by participants), stratified by sex, educational level, current ART intake, and history of ART abandonment. Participants in both groups receive up to 3 WhatsApp messages per week for 16 weeks. ART adherence, the primary outcome, is measured using the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Monthly feedback questionnaires on user experience are also administered. The WhatsApp chat format allows two-way communication between participants and the research team throughout the study. We will compare ART adherence between 2 groups at 16 weeks under the intention-to-treat principle, with no interim analysis planned. Based on an estimated 10% difference in adherence, 78.9% power, and a 2-sided α of .05, the target sample size was set at 120, later increased to 131 to include a 2-week pilot phase.

resultsIn March 2024, we started enrolling and randomizing participants. The study follow-up will continue until the last participant completes 16 weeks of intervention (November 2024). As of February 2025, we are in the process of data curation.

conclusionsThis trial will compare the effectiveness of standardized vs self-designed WhatsApp messages on ART adherence measured at 16 weeks among young people living with HIV receiving routine care in a low-resource setting in Lima.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06500013; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT06500013. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/66941.

Indexed as

Anti-Retroviral AgentsHIV InfectionsMedication AdherenceMobile ApplicationsText MessagingAdolescentAdultBehavior TherapyFemaleHumansMalePeruRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicYoung AdultAnti-Retroviral Agentsadherenceantiretroviral treatmentARTbehavioral change techniquedesigndigital appevaluationHIVmessaging interventionmHealthmobile phone messagingpeople living with HIVPerurandomized controlled trialself-designWhatsAppyoung people

Identifiers

PMID40403302
PMCPMC12141961

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.