Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Keywords
Aging, digital intervention, loneliness, online community, social isolation, intervention development, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2024.2383869
Abstract
Many older adults living with HIV face unique challenges, including comorbidities, loneliness, and isolation. This community-academic partnered study elicited viewpoints from older adults living with HIV about the characteristics of a digital environment (“Virtual Village”) to combat against loneliness and isolation. We utilized Choice-Based Conjoint Analyses to determine preferred attributes of a Virtual Village. We also conducted focus groups and interviews with older adults living with HIV and used an iterative, data-driven approach to systematically identify emergent themes. Participants (N = 82) were aged 50–82 years and racially/ethnically diverse. The majority were men (78%), gay (66%), and lived with HIV for ≥15 years (83%). Cost was the factor that most drove participants’ preference for joining a Virtual Village. Thematic concerns included lack of technological confidence, internet access, potential for harassment in digital environments, privacy, and preference for in-person interactions. Praises centered on convenience and making connections across geographic distances. Participants emphasized the need for purposive strategies to form a cohesive and supportive community for older adults living with HIV. A moderated environment was recommneded to create a safe, structured, and comfortable digital environment for older adults living with HIV. A Virtual Village should be viewed as a bridge to in-person interactions.
Rights Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
AIDS Care, v. 36, issue 11, p. 1626-1634
Scholar Commons Citation
Nguyen, Annie L.; Polonijo, Andrea N.; Galea, Jerome T.; Yoo-Jeong, Moka; Taylor, Jeff; Ruiz, Erik L.; Greene, Karah; Lopez, Jasmine L.; Christensonf, Christopher; and Brown, Brandon, "A Community-academic Partnered Approach to Designing a Virtual Village to Address the Needs of Older Adults Living with HIV" (2024). Social Work Faculty Publications. 280.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/sok_facpub/280
