Usability and Acceptability of the Chemsex Prevention Package (“PartyPack”)

This poster video is part of "Health is Social: Leveraging the Metaverse to Improve Public Health," the virtual conference of the UConn Center for mHealth and Social Media, May 18-19, 2023. Registration still open: https://mhealth.inchip.uconn.edu/chas...

Usability and Acceptability of the Chemsex Prevention Package (“PartyPack”): mHealth-Delivered Sexual Harm Reduction Tool for Men Who Have Sex with Men in Malaysia

Kamal Gautam1, Kiran Paudel1, Jerome Seong-Bin Jacobs1 Jeffrey A. Wickersham2,3, Wan Mohd Ikhtiaruddin3, Iskandar Azwa3,4, Rumana Saifi3, Lim H. Sim3,5, Roman Shrestha1,2,3

Affiliations:
1 Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
2 AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
3 Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4 Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5 Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Background: Chemsex – the use of psychoactive drugs to enhance the sexual experience – is an increasing phenomenon globally, including in Malaysia. Despite the increasing burden and associated harms of chemsex, evidence-based intervention (i.e., behavioral, pharmacological) for chemsex users is non-existent.

Objective: In this study, we assessed the usability and acceptability of the mHealth-delivered chemsex prevention package (“PartyPack”) as a sexual harm reduction strategy among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malaysia.

Methods: This study is part of a larger smartphone app-based intervention (i.e., JomPrEP) designed to improve access to HIV prevention services among Malaysian MSM. Fifty participants were recruited from the Greater Kuala Lumpur region of Malaysia to use the JomPrEP app, which included a feature allowing participants to order PartyPack, for 30 days (March – April 2022). The usability and acceptability of the PartyPack were assessed using self-report, app analytics, and exit interviews (n=20).

Results: Overall, 8% reported to have engaged in chemsex in the past six months, however, engagement in condomless sex (68%) and group sex (18%) was much higher. Forty-three participants (86%) ordered PartyPack, of which 27 (62.7%) made multiple orders during the 30-day period. Most participants (94.5%) reported being satisfied with the PartyPack order feature in the app, with 91.7% indicating the order and tracking process to be easy. Thematic data exploration further revealed important information for understanding (e.g., items included in the package, use of mHealth platform to order package, discreetness of the PartyPack box and order and delivery) and refining the logistical preferences (e.g., using branded items, allowing customization during order).

Conclusions: Our findings provide strong evidence of the usability and acceptability of a mHealth-delivered chemsex prevention package as a potential sexual harm reduction tool among this underserved population. Replication in a study with a larger sample size to test the efficacy of the PartyPack is warranted.