MyPEEPS Mobile
Rebecca Schnall, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N.-B.C. at Columbia University School of Nursing, New York; and Robert Garofalo, M.D., M.P.H. at Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago.
MyPEEPS Mobile is a web-based app designed to reduce sexual risks related to HIV and to increase condom use among same-sex–attracted young males ages 13 to 18. MyPEEPS Mobile is adapted from the group-based curriculum, MyPEEPS. (Note: TPPER has not assessed the effectiveness of the original MyPEEPS program, just MyPEEPS Mobile.) There are 21 activities designed to be completed consecutively. The activities deliver information about sexual health, relationships, and emotional health. The app delivers content via games, quizzes, videos, and graphics. In addition, four characters called “peeps” present scenarios to open each activity. Participants need access to (1) a phone or tablet and (2) internet access or cellular data to use MyPEEPS Mobile.
MyPEEPS Mobile is designed for ethnically and racially diverse same-sex–attracted young males ages 13 to 18. MyPEEPS Mobile was evaluated with young Latino males ages 14 to 17 who are LGBTQ.
MyPEEPS Mobile can be implemented in any setting where youth have smartphones and access to the internet. In the evaluation, the sample was recruited from community-based organizations, schools, clinics, and social media and the sample accessed the program via the web-based app.
Professor Rebecca Schnall, Email: rb897@cumc.columbia.edu
Monitoring of the app can be done through a dashboard in which you can see which user is using the app, how much time was spent on each activity and the time stamp of when an activity was started and completed. The outcome survey used in Schnall et al. 2022 is available upon request from Rebecca Schnall (rb897@cumc.columbia.edu).
Last updated in 2024
The data presented on this page reflect responses from the program’s developer or distributor to a program component checklist that asked them to report on the individual components within their TPP program. The same program component checklist was sent to the developer or distributor of every active TPP program with evidence of effectiveness. The program component table provides information on seven types of program components including content, delivery mechanism, dosage, staffing, format, context, and intended population characteristics; whether the component was present or optional in the program; whether the component is considered to be core to the program; and the lesson number or activity where the component can be found in the program.
In the drop-down menu below, under “Has component,” there are four options that indicate a component as present in the program: (1) “Yes” indicates that the component is present in at least one version of the program (whether that be the program version that was evaluated, the current version, or both versions); (2) “Yes (both versions)” indicates that the component is present in both the evaluated version of the program and the current version of the program; (3) “Yes (current version)” indicates that the component is present in the current, but not the evaluated, version of the program; and (4) “Yes (evaluated version)” indicates that the component is present in the evaluated version of the program, only. Note that for dosage components, the dosage itself is described in the Notes when available.
Some of the components identified are noted as core components of the evidence-based program, but this does not necessarily mean that these components have been rigorously tested and show evidence of effectiveness. Most often developers denoted components as core based on theory or experience in the field. Click here for the list of evidence-based components.
For more details about program components, refer to the FAQ page.
| Category | Component | Core Component | Component present | Lesson number(s) / activities where present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context | Setting: Health care clinic | No | ||
| Context | Setting: Home-based case management | No | ||
| Context | Setting: Home/housing | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Context | Setting: In school (during the school day) | No | ||
| Context | Setting: Mental health clinic | No | ||
| Context | Setting: Residential facility | No | ||
| Context | Setting: School-based health clinic | No | ||
| Context | Setting: Other | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Context | Other | |||
| Context | Other | |||
| Context | Other | |||
| Intended population characteristics | Age or grade in school | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Intended population characteristics | Sex | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Intended population characteristics | Ethnicity | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Intended population characteristics | Sex | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Intended population characteristics | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Race | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Intended population characteristics | Urbanicity | |||
| Intended population characteristics | Homeless or runaway youth | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Youth with developmental disabilities | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Sexually active youth | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | |
| Intended population characteristics | Pregnant/expectant or parenting | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Child welfare | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Juvenile justice | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Population-specific needs/challenges | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Population-specific strengths | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Other | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Other | No | ||
| Intended population characteristics | Other | No |
MyPEEPS Mobile is designed to decrease engagement in sexual behaviors that can raise the risk of HIV. The program focuses on same-sex–attracted males ages 13 to 18. The program’s aim is to increase condom use and knowledge about HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and promote youths’ communication with potential partners, peers, and family members.
MyPEEPS Mobile is based on social learning theory. There are a total of 21 activities that deliver information on goal setting, HIV and STIs, strategies to manage stigma and shame, and information on dealing with emotions and triggers, discussing influential relationships, and using condoms. The activities should be completed sequentially, and participants must complete an activity to move on to the next one.
The content is delivered in videos, graphics, scenarios, interactive quizzes and games, and the stories of four peeps. The peeps are animated characters who present scenarios on program topics to participants to open each session.
MyPEEPS Mobile consists of 21 activities, which must be completed sequentially over the course of three months. Each activity does not need to be completed in a single sitting. Participants work through the activities asynchronously. Completing all 21 activities takes between six and nine hours.
One staff person with a bachelor’s degree (or preferably a master’s degree) to provide access to the app and monitor technical issues.
MyPEEPS Mobile is largely a self-administered app. Staff should be trained on the aspects of troubleshooting any technical issues.
MyPEEPS Mobile is a web-based app with no additional program materials.
MyPEEPS Mobile requires participants to have access to a smartphone or tablet along with an Internet connection or cellular service.
Participants are expected to complete all 21 activities.
Support from the app developer would need to be negotiated.
There are no allowable adaptations.
| Citation | High-Quality Randomized Trial | Moderate-Quality Randomized Trial | Moderate-Quality Quasi-Experiment | Low Study Rating | Did Not Meet Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schnall et al. 2020 |
|||||
| Schnall 2022 Kuhns et al. 2020 |
| Citation | Setting | Majority Age Group | Majority Racial/Ethnic Group | Gender | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Schnall et al. 2020 |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
Schnall 2022 Kuhns et al. 2020 |
Community-based organization | 14 to 17 | Hispanic or Latino | Young male | 763 |
Evidence by Outcome Domain and Study
| Citation | Sexual Activity | Number of Sexual Partners | Contraceptive Use | STIs or HIV | Pregnancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Schnall et al. 2020 |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
Schnall 2022 Kuhns et al. 2020 |
n.a. |
|
|
|
n.a. |
| Citation | Details |
|---|---|
Schnall et al. 2020 |
This study did not meet the review's screening criteria |
Schnall 2022 Kuhns et al. 2020 |
MyPEEPS Mobile was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial involving same-sex attracted, male-identifying people ages 13 to 18 recruited through various social media sites and clinic-based recruitment events held in Birmingham, Alabama; New York, New York; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group that immediately received access to the three-month, 21-module online program or a control group that received the same three-month program but administered on delay between months nine and 12 of the study period. Surveys were administered to both groups immediately at baseline and at three, six, and nine months (before the control group received the intervention). The delayed intervention group received an additional survey in month 12 following their completion of the program; the results of this survey were not included in this study. The study found that at the three-month follow-up, young men participating in the intervention reported a statistically significant decrease in the number of condomless anal sex acts (insertive and receptive) with partners compared to the control group (effect size = -0.07). Differences in the number of condomless anal sex acts between the two groups were not significant at the six- and nine-month follow-ups. The study also found that young men participating in the intervention and those in the control group were not significantly different in their number of sex partners and number of condomless anal sex partners at the three-, six-, and nine-month follow-ups, nor were they different in their HIV and STI testing. The study also examined program impacts on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) use, and the number of sex acts under the influence of substances. Findings for these outcomes were not considered for the review because they fell outside the scope of the review. |
Language directly from the program model developer or authors.