Mobile Apps for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention in Canada, Mexico, and the United States: Environmental Scan
Notice bibliographique
Résumé
BACKGROUND: Canada, Mexico, and the United States are primary transit destinations for migrants in the Western Hemisphere. Migrants face barriers to accessing health services, including HIV/AIDS and STI prevention. Mobile apps may enhance public health access for these populations. OBJECTIVE: This study systematically identifies and evaluates mobile apps supporting HIV and STI prevention in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. METHODS: An environmental scan of 357 mobile applications from the Google Play and Apple App stores was conducted on June 18, 2024, following the rigorous six-step framework proposed by Fernández-Sánchez to ensure a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of apps for HIV and STI prevention. Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in 6 eligible apps. Each app was assessed using the 29-item Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = inadequate, 5 = excellent), and categorized as high (3), medium (2), or low (1) based on mean scores. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.90), and inter-rater reliability demonstrated near-perfect agreement (Cohen's κ = 0.862). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 27. RESULTS: All six apps were available in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with 33.3% from Google Play, 16.7% from Apple, and 50.0% from both platforms. MARS evaluation revealed high quality ratings for Engagement (100%), Functionality (88.9%), Aesthetics (83.3%), and Interaction (83.0%), as well as high subjective quality (83.3%) and app-specific quality (88.9%). Life4Me+ was the highest-rated app (4.6; 3/5), while HIV-TEST received the lowest rating (3.4; 7/5). Most apps (83.3%) were only available in English, and 16.7% supported multiple languages, which may limit accessibility for non-English-speaking migrant populations. Additionally, 83.3% were updated in 2024, 33.3% were linked to non-governmental organization, 16.7% to a university, and 50.0% had no clear affiliation. Regarding their focus, 50.0% addressed STI prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, 16.7% combined HIV and STI prevention, and 33.3% provided PrEP-related resources. CONCLUSIONS: These six apps stand out for their high functionality, engagement, and accessibility, establishing themselves as effective tools for HIV and STI prevention education among migrant populations. This study highlights the critical role of digital resources in addressing public health challenges faced by vulnerable and minority groups. Integrating these apps into health promotion strategies is essential to improve health literacy and encourage preventive behaviors. Moreover, ensuring the quality, credibility, linguistic diversity, and continuous updating of these digital interventions is crucial to achieving a real and sustained impact on public health. Policies should promote clear standards that guarantee accessibility, transparency, and accuracy, thereby facilitating access to healthcare services in complex migratory contexts.
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Comment cette classification a été obtenuedéplier
Prédiction machine sur la base complète
Imitation des enseignantsNi prévalence calibrée, ni vérité terrain. Validation humaine à venir. Le volet Gemma est une étiquette directe du modèle pour chaque travail de la base, lue sur la notice réduite au titre. Le volet Codex est un classifieur appris des 10 348 étiquettes directes de Codex et calibré sur les taux pondérés de l'échantillon; les champs sans appui suffisant ne portent aucun appel Codex. Le mode candidate est l'union des deux volets; le consensus est leur intersection. Ces sorties portent le statut machine_predicted_unvalidated et ne sont pas des étiquettes humaines.
Scores du classifieur distillé par catégorie (deux têtes)
| Catégorie | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Métarecherche | 0,003 | 0,013 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens strict) | 0,000 | 0,000 |
| Méta-épidémiologie (sens large) | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Bibliométrie | 0,007 | 0,009 |
| Études des sciences et des technologies | 0,003 | 0,001 |
| Communication savante | 0,003 | 0,001 |
| Science ouverte | 0,001 | 0,002 |
| Intégrité de la recherche | 0,000 | 0,001 |
| Charge utile insuffisante (le modèle a refusé de juger) | 0,003 | 0,000 |
Scores machine (provisoires)
Les deux têtes enseignantes du modèle étudiant, lues sur ce travail. Un score ordonne la base pour la relecture; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie, et le statut de validation accompagne chaque rangée tel quel.
Scores de référence d'un modèle non mature (critères de maturité non atteints, 7 itérations). Un score ordonne; il n'affirme jamais une catégorie.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · tel quel depuis la passe de notation : score_only signifie que le nombre peut ordonner les travaux, et qu'aucune étiquette de catégorie n'en découleClassification
machine, non validéePrédiction automatique; un appel candidat d’une seule source (Gemma direct ou Codex distillé), pas un consensus.
Le détail, modèle par modèle et score par score, se trouve en fin de page sous « Comment cette classification a été obtenue ».