Academic Journal
Trial experiences with dyadic breathalyzer technology for alcohol monitoring and feedback among couples living with HIV in South Africa.
| Τίτλος: | Trial experiences with dyadic breathalyzer technology for alcohol monitoring and feedback among couples living with HIV in South Africa. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Conroy AA; Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. amy.conroy@ucsf.edu.; Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA. amy.conroy@ucsf.edu., Butterfield RM; Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.; Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA., Chibi B; Human Sciences Research Council, Centre for Community Based Research, Sweetwaters, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa., Msimango L; Human Sciences Research Council, Centre for Community Based Research, Sweetwaters, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa., Starks TJ; Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY), New York, NY, USA. |
| Πηγή: | Addiction science & clinical practice [Addict Sci Clin Pract] 2026 Mar 12; Vol. 21 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 12. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101316917 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1940-0640 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19400632 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Addict Sci Clin Pract Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 2012- : London : BioMed Central Original Publication: 2007-2011: Bethesda, MD : National Institute on Drug Abuse |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Alcohol Drinking*/prevention & control , Alcohol Drinking*/psychology , HIV Infections*/psychology , Motivational Interviewing*/methods, Breath Tests/instrumentation ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Blood Alcohol Content ; Mobile Applications ; Pilot Projects ; Smartphone ; South Africa |
| Περίληψη: | BACKGROUND: Dyadic monitoring tools could enhance partner awareness of drinking behaviors and prompt timely communication and supportive responses during alcohol use. We posited that real-time blood alcohol content (BAC) levels combined with motivational interviewing (MI) could facilitate couple communication, communal coping, and support, enabling couples to set joint goals and reduce alcohol consumption. We qualitatively explored the positive and negative experiences of trial participants who received mobile breathalyzer technology with couples MI to reduce unhealthy alcohol use in South Africa. METHODS: Thirty couples (60 individuals) participated in a pilot trial combining couples-based MI with mobile breathalyzers. Index participants reporting unhealthy alcohol use and on antiretroviral therapy were assigned a portable breathalyzer linked to a smartphone app to complete twice-daily BAC tests. Partners received real-time SMS notifications of these BAC results. Both partners engaged in three MI sessions to reflect on drinking patterns and set alcohol reduction goals together. Transcripts from audio-recorded sessions and exit interviews from a subset of 12 individuals were analyzed using framework analysis. The data were coded for positive and negative experiences of using the breathalyzers and dyadic mechanisms of behavior change. RESULTS: Participants averaged 35.9 years old and had relationships averaging 6.6 years. Most couples (66.7%) had two partners reporting unhealthy drinking. Couples found the mobile breathalyzer technology engaging and enjoyable due to its novelty and social curiosity it sparked. Despite challenges related to connectivity issues, privacy, and technical difficulties, participants generally found workarounds and leveraged study resources like power banks and dedicated navigators. Participants described how the breathalyzers enhanced self-awareness of alcohol consumption, promoted home-based drinking, and fostered partner support and communication, though it sometimes led to tensions over technology allocation and usage, when only one partner received the device. CONCLUSIONS: Couples in a low-resource setting in South Africa successfully used breathalyzers to self-monitor alcohol consumption. Breathalyzers could be used to increase personal motivation to reduce alcohol use, activate partner support, and help partners coordinate efforts to achieve drinking goals. Addressing structural challenges like cellular connectivity, as well as dyadic equity by providing both partners with breathalyzers, will be critical to maximizing breathalyzer uptake and intervention impact in resource-poor settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05756790; registration date: 3/6/2023. |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethical approval and consent to participate: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the UCSF Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Research Ethics Committee (REC) in South Africa. Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study. Consent for publication: All authors approve the publication of this manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Grant Information: | R34 AA029649 United States AA NIAAA NIH HHS; P60-AA032189 United States AA NIAAA NIH HHS; R34-AA029649 United States AA NIAAA NIH HHS |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Alcohol use; Antiretroviral therapy; Couples; HIV/AIDS; South Africa |
| Molecular Sequence: | ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05756790 |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Blood Alcohol Content) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260313 Date Completed: 20260627 Latest Revision: 20260706 |
| Update Code: | 20260707 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13020353 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s13722-026-00659-1 |
| PMID: | 41821038 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1940-0640 |
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| DOI: | 10.1186/s13722-026-00659-1 |