Prevention of sexually transmitted infections using mobile devices and ubiquitous computing.
BACKGROUND
Advances in the development of information and communication technologies have facilitated social interrelationships, but also sexual contacts without appropriate preventive measures. In this paper, we will focus on situations in which people use applications to meet sexual partners nearby, which could increase their chance of exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STI). How can we encourage users to adopt preventive measures without violating their privacy or infringing on the character of the application?


METHODS
To achieve the goal of preventing STI, we have used the design and creation methodology and have developed a prototype software package. This prototype follows the RESTful services principles and has two parts: an Android OS application with emphasis on ubiquitous computing and designed according to General Responsibility Assignment Software Patterns (GRASP), and a server with a web page. To choose the preventive messages, we performed a test in 17 men who have sex with men (MSM).


RESULTS
Our software sends preventive notifications to users when it detects situations such as the activation of particular applications on their smartphones, or their proximity to areas with a high probability of intercourse (hot zones). The underlying idea is the same as that for warning messages on cigarette packets, since users read the message just when they are going to smoke. The messages used have been selected from a list that has been rated by the users themselves. The most popular message is "Enjoy sex and enjoy life. Do not expose yourself to HIV". The user is unaware of the software, which runs in the background.


CONCLUSIONS
Ubiquitous computing may be useful for alerting users with preventive and educational messages. The proposed application is non-intrusive because: 1) the users themselves decide to install it and, therefore, users' privacy rights are preserved; 2) it sends a message that helps users think about taking appropriate preventive measures; and 3) it works in the background without interfering with users unless a trigger situation is detected. Thus, this type of application could become an important tool in the complex task of STI prevention.
Estudis d'Informàtica, Multimèdia i Telecomunicació, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Rambla Poblenou 156, Barcelona, Spain. fbesoain@uoc.edu.|Escuela de Ingeniería en Bioinformática, Universidad de Talca, Avenida Lircay s/n, Talca, Chile. fbesoain@uoc.edu.
Felipe
F
Besoain
Estudis d'Informàtica, Multimèdia i Telecomunicació, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Rambla Poblenou 156, Barcelona, Spain. aperezn@uoc.edu.
Antoni
A
Perez-Navarro
Servei d'Epidemiologia, Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Pça. Lesseps, 1, Barcelona, Spain. jcayla@aspb.cat.|CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. jcayla@aspb.cat.
Joan A
JA
Caylà
Servei d'Epidemiologia, Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Pça. Lesseps, 1, Barcelona, Spain. cjacques@aspb.cat.
Constanza Jacques
CJ
Aviñó
Servei d'Epidemiologia, Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Pça. Lesseps, 1, Barcelona, Spain. polalla@aspb.cat.|CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain. polalla@aspb.cat.
Patricia García
PG
de Olalla
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications / Q000639:trends; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult