Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention in HIV/AIDS risk reduction among long-distance truckers in Kenya: A quasi-experimental study

Background While mobile (m)-health interventions offer a promising platform through which the vulnerable long-distance truckers (LDTs) can be remotely reached with current human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) risk reduction updates, their use is limited in Kenya. Objective The study aimed to establish the effect of a short message service (SMS)-based mHealth intervention in enhancing HIV/AIDS risk reduction among LDTs in Kenya. Methods and Methodology This was a pre-posttest quasi-experimental study involving a control site (Namanga) and an intervention site (Busia), each comprising 189 LDTs. At baseline, a pre-test was done to assess existing HIV/AIDS risk levels. In Phase 2, an SMS-based mHealth intervention comprising 57 items was developed and implemented using a digital platform (TD_Educator) over a six-month period. Eventually, a post-test was conducted to evaluate the effect of the intervention. A two-proportion Z-test and a Cochran-Armitage test were used to compare the proportions of HIV/AIDS risk levels between the two study arms, utilising the R statistical software. A Cramér's V test was also used to calculate the effect size of the intervention. Results Slightly more than half, 202 (53.44%) of the LDTs were at moderate HIV/AIDS risk levels, 106 (28.04%) at high-risk levels, and 70 (18.52%) at low-risk levels at baseline. Post-intervention, statistically significant (χ 2 = 72.25, df = 1, p < 0.001) higher proportions (50.62%) of low HIV/AIDS risk levels were observed in the intervention arm (Busia), an indication of a shift from high to lower risk levels following the BCC intervention, unlike the control arm (χ 2 = 0.84, df = 2, p = 0.657). Overall, the intervention had a moderate effect, with a Cramér's V of 0.3 (χ² = 28.214, df = 2, p < 0.001), in enhancing HIV/AIDS risk reduction. Conclusion The mHealth intervention is considered effective in enhancing HIV/AIDS risk reduction among LDTs, albeit needing regular updates in the future, as the evidence is expected to grow and evolve further.