A Quasi-Experimental Study Protocol on the Impact of a Mobile Health Program for HIV Counseling and Testing in the Deaf Community

Background Deaf individuals are considered a high-risk population for health disparities. During the covid-19 epidemic, deaf and hearing loss persons also suffer from psychological issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, and seropositive HIV. Objective This study aims to examine the effectiveness of an mobile health educational program to increase mental health and HIV prevention among deaf community Methods This study employs a quasi-experimental design with a non-randomized controlled trial, involving single-blinded participants and a parallel group assignment, purpose for health service research, study phase 2-3. pronounced to escalate the sample size to 40 deaf per group, which is 80 total participants. Results The analysis of the data will be conducted utilizing the generalized estimation equation, with a confidence interval set at 95%. Significant differences, both between and within groups, will be identified at a threshold of P<.05. The findings of this study highlight the efficacy of a mobile educational program in enhancing mental health and preventing HIV within the deaf community. Furthermore, the outcomes of this research will augment existing knowledge regarding psychological distress, HIV prevention practices, and coping self-efficacy among individuals who are deaf. Conclusion The intervention group is expected to demonstrate significantly lower scores in psychological distress during both the immediate evaluation and the assessment conducted three months post-intervention, compared to the wait-list group. Additionally, the intervention group is anticipated to exhibit enhanced levels of HIV prevention practices and coping self-efficacy, resulting in a greater degree of adjustment. Clinical trial SLCTR/2024/039, 25 November 2024, https://slctr.lk/trials/slctr-2024-039