January 13, 2020

MyPEEPS Status

The MyPEEPS project is a mobile intervention that uses evidence-driven mobile technology to deliver HIV prevention information specifically developed for at-risk young men who have sex with men (YMSM).  The mobile intervention is being tested in a randomized control trial (RCT) with racially and ethnically diverse HIV-negative or unknown status YMSM aged 13-18 at four geographically diverse sites throughout the United States: Birmingham, Chicago, New York City, and Seattle, allowing for increased generalizability of findings.

 

MyPEEPS began recruitment in June 2018. To date, the IWRI team (comprised of Cynthia Pearson, Rebeca Marin-Cordero, Kathy Garcia, and Angelina Callis) has completed 96% of its participant recruitment.  Over the past year, the IWRI team assisted in prioritizing POC (people of color) recruitment across the nation.  To date, our team’s average retention rate over the 12-month participant RCT is 90.5%.  By utilizing current technology (FaceTime, Skype, and Google Duo) and allowing staff to have flexible schedules, youth participants are provided appointment times and means for follow-up visits that fit into their busy schedules.

 

In April 2019, the IWRI team adjusted its recruitment focus to Native and Indigenous youth.  In an effort to increase knowledge of the RCT nationwide, we held a Native youth art contest where self-identified Indigenous/Native youth were invited to submit their art that would later be used for MyPEEPS recruitment promotion.  Three Native youth artists were awarded prizes in the contest and their art is awaiting IRB approval for use in nationwide promotions for the MyPEEPS project.  We will continue our recruitment efforts with Indigenous youth through January 2020.  If you or anyone in your community may be interested in participating in the study, please contact us for more information at mypeeps@uw.edu or check out our website at https://mypeepsmobile.org.

 

In September 2019 the IWRI team held an in-person transgender youth focus group to determine how applicable the MyPEEPS mobile application was with a new population.  Outreach was conducted over a one-month timeframe through text message and email.  A total of 10 youth participated in the session which included: a baseline survey, completion of the MyPEEPS app, and a led focus group session to discuss changes that may be needed to better fit a trans-youth population.

 

Grant Number: U01MD011279

Site PI: Cynthia Pearson

Funding Period: 9/1/2016 – 04/30/2021

Funding Agency: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)