Male Youth Perspectives on a Pre-Visit Mobile Health App for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Care

Adolescent males have distinct sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs yet remain underrepresented in primary care SRH interventions. This qualitative study explored male adolescents' preferences and perceptions regarding the design of a pre-visit mobile health (mHealth) app to enhance SRH knowledge and care engagement.

We conducted three rounds of focus groups with 26 male youth aged 15-21 from diverse backgrounds. Using thematic analysis, we identified themes related to participants' SRH knowledge and skills gaps, care engagement, and perceptions of an SRH app for male youth.

Participants were mostly cisgender (92%), non-Hispanic Black/African American (50%), and heterosexual (69%). Three themes emerged: 1) Systemic and social influences on SRH knowledge, behaviors, and care-seeking; 2) Perceived value of a male-tailored SRH app; 3) Preferences for an engaging and interactive app design. Participants traced SRH knowledge gaps to inadequate SRH education and described low self-efficacy for partner communication and accessing condoms. They identified barriers to clinical communication including confidentiality concerns and limited access to affordable services. Many expressed enthusiasm for a male-tailored SRH app to facilitate care engagement while also acknowledging concerns about sustained digital engagement.

Participants emphasized their desire for comprehensive, accurate, and tailored SRH information delivered in engaging digital formats. They saw strong potential for an app to boost their confidence in navigating SRH behaviors and conversations with clinicians and partners. Findings will inform the development of a pre-visit SRH app for males that will be piloted in youth-serving primary care settings and assessed for effectiveness across diverse adolescent populations.