Understanding Technology Use Among Your Target Population: The Role of Formative Research

As the popularity of technology-based STI/HIV interventions increases, their success may in part rest upon whether members of the target population are currently mobilizing the technology in their daily lives already or whether they are being asked to adopt a new technology.  This presentation is a case example of conducting quantitative and qualitative formative research to understand online social networking and mobile phone technology uptake among people living with HIV (PLWH) in the US.  Results demonstrate that both technologies are widely used by PLWH, and therefore are strong candidates for intervention delivery.  Implications for technology-based STI interventions are discussed.