Using Social Media to Improve ART Retention and Treatment Outcomes Among YLHIV in Nigeria (Y-SMART)

The intervention components include:

• Informational messages that reflect the content of the structured group counseling curriculum and are posted to the Facebook group wall on a regular basis for approximately 4 to 5 months
• Moderated, closed group chats in a "secret" Facebook group where YLHIV can interact with their peers and with a trained support group facilitator
• Access to a trained facilitator via Facebook Messenger for the duration of the intervention who will be able to provide information or basic counseling on ART/HIV care related issues, with referral to health care services as needed

This main outcome is defined as the proportion of study participants retained in clinical HIV services and on treatment at 12 months after enrollment. We will abstract data from the clinic electronic medical record system on date of all visits, which are typically monthly, to ART services between enrollment and the end-line of this study.

Retention is defined as having attended a scheduled HIV clinic visit within three months of the visit date. For our primary analysis, using a survival analysis approach, we will record the dates for all scheduled clinic visits for each participant, then follow the data up to three months from the date of the last visit attended. If a participant fails to return after a scheduled visit for more than three months, the date of the missed visit will be the date of loss to follow-up recorded, unless a death or transfer of service is documented.