What is HealthMpowerment?
HealthMpowerment (HMP) is a theory-based, status-neutral intervention designed to provide health and wellness information and resources relevant to young people via a mobile optimized platform. HMP was created by Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH, a public health scientist with extensive expertise in mHealth interventions.
HMP covers a range of health and lifestyle topics to support users’ diverse backgrounds and varying needs over time. HMP strives to be a state-of-the-art Digital Health Intervention platform. We are building a feature-rich platform that incorporates the latest behavior change research and the latest advances in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
A dedicated group of technologists and researchers work together daily to improve the platform and keep content up-to-date, fresh, and relevant. Leveraging a holistic view to health, HMP content covers topics ranging from traditional physical health such as HIV and STI prevention and treatment, depression, and nutrition, to social and environmental factors influencing health like housing, discrimination, faith, and spirituality.
Risk Reduction Findings
HMP has effectively reduced condomless anal intercourse (CAI) and HIV-related stigma among young Black gay and bisexual men living with or with increased likelihood for HIV. In an RCT comparing HMP to an information-only control arm, rates of CAI at 3-months were 32% lower in the HMP group (IR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.93) and the intervention was more effective for participants who used HMP for more than 60 minutes during the 3-month intervention period. In subsequent mixed-methods analysis, online discussions around HIV stigma were associated with HIV-related communication (e.g., provider communication, HIV status disclosure to sexual partners) and improved HIV care outcomes (e.g., perceived barriers to treatment access, engagement in care, self-reported adherence) over time.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified HMP as a good evidence-based intervention (EBI) for HIV risk reduction. Good EBIs are scientifically sound and provide sufficient evidence of efficacy. Good EBIs offer promising evidence because they have demonstrated significant positive pre-post intervention differences in 1-group study designs. The CDC recommends health departments and community-based organizations implement evidence-based interventions. The dissemination of risk reduction EBIs is a critical part of building capacity among organizations that implement prevention programs for populations at risk for HIV. View the CDC’s description of HMP in their compendium here.
Projects
The HMP platform powers a range of research studies related to health and wellness worldwide. To learn more about each research project or about HMP's design framework, visit the HMP website:
