A Text Messaging Intervention to Support Option B+ in Kenya: A Qualitative Study
Open accessAbstract
Key challenges in providing lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) to pregnant and breastfeeding women (Option B+) in sub-Saharan Africa include achieving long-term adherence and retention in care. One intervention that may help address these challenges is mobile text messaging. We evaluated the acceptability of a text messaging intervention to support women's ART adherence and retention in care in rural western Kenya. Forty in-depth interviews with 20 pregnant/postpartum women infected with HIV, their male partners, and four focus groups with 30 health care providers were conducted during September-November 2014. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed the following themes: (a) overall acceptability of the text messaging intervention; (b) proposed content of text messages; (c) format, timing, and language of text messages; and (d) potential challenges of the text messaging intervention. Findings were used to refine a text messaging intervention being evaluated at Kenyan study sites rolling out Option B+.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Most SMS-based interventions are pilot tested (stage 3) or at large scale implementation stage (stage 4).
“most SMS based interventions are pilot tested (stage 3) [31,34,37,38,42,71] or at large scale implementation stage (stage 4) [28 -30,32,35].”
From Current evidence on the use of mHealth approaches in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review (2023) · cites this paper as [34]
The Methods describe an SMS intervention associated with a trial, and the Conclusion says its effectiveness was being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. But this paper reports formative qualitative research, not a completed pilot test, and it does not classify interventions by stage or establish that most are at stages 3 or 4. Our copy provides no page numbers for these passages. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 35 · Cited by 21
Research works printed but not linked: 22
- Flax VL Negerie M Ibrahim AU Leatherman S Daza EJ Bentley ME 2014 Integrating group counseling, cell phone messaging, and participant-generated songs and dramas into a microcredit program increases Nigerian women’s adherence to international breastfeeding recommendations Journal of Nutrition 144 7 1120 1124 10.3945/jn.113.190124 24812071 PMC4481538 · DOI
- Haas AD Tenthani L Msukwa MT Tal K Jahn A Gadabu OJ … Keiser O 2016 Retention in care during the first 3 years of antiretroviral therapy for women in Malawi’s option B+ programme: An observational cohort study Lancet HIV 3 4 e175 e182 10.1016/s2352-3018(16)00008-4 27036993 PMC4904064 · DOI
- Hatcher AM Turan JM Leslie HH Kanya LW Kwena Z Johnson MO … Cohen CR 2012 Predictors of linkage to care following community-based HIV counseling and testing in rural Kenya AIDS and Behavior 16 5 1295 1307 10.1007/s10461-011-0065-1 22020756 PMC3590795 · DOI
- Head KJ Noar SM Iannarino NT Harrington NG 2013 Efficacy of text messaging-based interventions for health promotion: A meta-analysis Social Science and Medicine 97 41 48 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.08.003 24161087 · DOI
- Horvath T Azman H Kennedy GE Rutherford GW 2012 Mobile phone text messaging for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV infection Cochrane Database Systematic Review 3 Cd009756 10.1002/14651858.cd009756 PMC6486190 22419345 · DOI · Paper page
- Janz NK Becker MH 1984 The Health Belief Model: A decade later Health Education Quarterly 11 1 1 47 6392204
- Jiang H Li M Wen LM Hu Q Yang D He G … Qian X 2014 Effect of short message service on infant feeding practice: Findings from a community-based study in Shanghai, China Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics 168 5 471 478 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.58 24639004 · DOI
- Kanters S Park JJH Chan K Socias ME Ford N Forrest JI … Mills EJ 2017 Interventions to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and network meta-analysis Lancet HIV 4 1 e31 e40 10.1016/s2352-3018(16)30206-5 27863996 · DOI
- Kassaye SG Ong’ech J Sirengo M Kose J Matu L McOdida P … Machekano R 2016 Cluster-randomized controlled study of SMS text messages for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in rural Kenya AIDS Research and Treatment 2016 1289328 10.1155/2016/1289328 28053784 PMC5178353 · DOI
- Kulzer JL Penner JA Marima R Oyaro P Oyanga AO Shade SB … Cohen CR 2012 Family model of HIV care and treatment: A retrospective study in Kenya Journal of the International AIDS Society 15 1 8 10.1186/1758-2652-15-8 22353553 PMC3298805 · DOI
- Mbuagbaw L Bonono-Momnougui RC Thabane L 2012 Considerations in using text messages to improve adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy: A qualitative study among clients in Yaounde, Cameroon HIV AIDS 4 45 50 10.2147/HIV.S29954 PMC3346064 22570574 · DOI
- Mwapasa V Pro G Chinkhumba J Mukaka M Kobayashi E Stuart A … Eliya M 2014 Mother-infant pair clinic and SMS messaging as innovative strategies for improving access to and retention in eMTCT care and Option B+ in Malawi: A cluster randomized control trial (the PRIME study) Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 67 Suppl 2 S120 S124 10.1097/qai.0000000000000327 25310117 · DOI
- Rosen S Fox MP Gill CJ 2007 Patient retention in antiretroviral therapy programs in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review PLoS Medicine 4 10 e298 10.1371/journal.pmed.0040298 17941716 PMC2020494 · DOI
- Rosenstock IM 1974 Historical origins of the Health Belief Model Health Education & Behavior 2 4 328 335 10.1177/109019817400200403 · DOI · Paper page
- Rosenstock IM Strecher VJ Becker MH 1988 Social learning theory and the Health Belief Model Health Education Quarterly 15 2 175 183 3378902
- Sellen D Mbugua S Webb GA Kalungu S Sarange C Lou W … Kamau-Mbuthia E 2013 A randomized controlled trial indicates benefits of cell phone based peer counseling to support exclusive breastfeeding in Kenya Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 63 Suppl 1 751
- Smillie K Van Borek N Abaki J Pick N Maan EJ Friesen K … Murray M 2014 A qualitative study investigating the use of a mobile phone short message service designed to improve HIV adherence and retention in care in Canada (WelTel BC1) Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care 25 6 614 625 10.1016/j.jana.2014.01.008 24768442 · DOI
- Tenthani L Haas AD Tweya H Jahn A van Oosterhout JJ Chimbwandira F … Phiri S 2014 Retention in care under universal antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected pregnant and breastfeeding women (‘Option B+’) in Malawi AIDS 28 4 589 598 24468999 PMC4009400
- Turan JM Bukusi EA Onono M Holzemer WL Miller S Cohen CR 2011 HIV/AIDS stigma and refusal of HIV testing among pregnant women in rural Kenya: Results from the MAMAS Study AIDS and Behavior 15 6 1111 1120 10.1007/s10461-010-9798-5 20827573 PMC3127002 · DOI
- Walcott MM Hatcher AM Kwena Z Turan JM 2013 Facilitating HIV status disclosure for pregnant women and partners in rural Kenya: A qualitative study BMC Public Health 13 1115 10.1186/1471-2458-13-1115 24294994 PMC3907031 · DOI
- Ware NC Pisarski EE Tam M Wyatt MA Atukunda E Musiimenta A … Haberer JE 2016 The meanings in the messages: How SMS reminders and real-time adherence monitoring improve antiretroviral therapy adherence in rural Uganda AIDS 30 8 1287 1294 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001035 26807967 PMC4853242 · DOI
- World Health Organization 2012 Use of antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants Retrieved from http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/mtct/programmatic_update2012/en/ 26180894
- Authors
- Musoke, P., Gakumo, A. C., Abuogi, L. L., Akama, E., Bukusi, E., Helova, A., Nalwa, W. Z., Onono, M., Spangler, S. A., Wanga, I., & Turan, J. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (US)
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KE)
- Corresponding author
- Musoke, Pamela
- Venue
- Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
- Published
- 2018-03
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 287-299
- ISSN
- 1055-3290 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5816718
- OpenAlex
- W2763814098
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 3.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD080477)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › ICT in Developing Communities
- Keywords
- Option B+, text messaging intervention, mobile health, antiretroviral therapy adherence, retention in care, HIV in pregnancy, lactating women, pregnant and postpartum women, treatment acceptability, partner involvement, healthcare workers, rural western Kenya
- MeSH terms
- Retention in Care, Adult, Breast Feeding, Female, Humans, Kenya, Male, Middle Aged, Mothers, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Pregnancy, Rural Population, Program Evaluation, HIV Infections, Focus Groups, Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical, Anti-HIV Agents, Qualitative Research, Pregnant People, Pregnant Women, Medication Adherence, Text Messaging
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
