We assessed the acceptability of nurse-delivered mobile phone-based counseling to support adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and self-care behaviors among HIV-positive women in India. We conducted open-ended, in-depth interviews with 27 HIV-positive women and 19 key informants at a government ART center in Karnataka, India. Data were analyzed with interpretive techniques. About half of the HIV-positive women owned a mobile phone and many had access to mobile phones of their family members. Most women perceived phone-based counseling as a personalized care approach to get information on demand. Also, women felt that they could discuss mental health issues and ask sensitive information that they would hesitate to discuss face-to-face. Findings indicate that, when compared with text messaging, mobile phone-based counseling could be a more acceptable way to engage with women on ART, especially those with limited literacy. Future studies should focus on testing mobile phone-based information/counseling and adherence interventions that take the local context into account.
Keywords: HIV-positive women; India; antiretroviral treatment adherence; counseling; mobile phones.