Retention in an mHealth App Aiming to Promote the Use of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Female Sex Workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract BackgroundIncreasing access to smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa offers an opportunity to leverage mobile health (mHealth) technology to improve access to health care in underserved populations. In the domain of HIV prevention, mHealth interventions can potentially contribute to solving the challenges of suboptimal adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and low retention in PrEP services among populations most vulnerable to HIV acquisition. However, there is a gap in the knowledge about the use of such interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the extent and predictors of retention in an mHealth app (Jichunge MethodsA prospective cohort of female sex workers residing in Dar es Salaam were recruited, using respondent-driven sampling. All participants were provided with the JichungeJichunge ResultsA total of 470 female sex workers were recruited. Nearly three-quarters of participants (206/284, 72.5%) who came to the 6-month follow-up interview no longer had the JichungePPP ConclusionsMost female sex workers (206/284, 72.5%) who were enrolled in PrEP care in Tanzania no longer used the Jichunge