"Sisters Influencing Sisters:" Findings from a Community-Engaged Process to Develop a Social Media-Based, Influencer-Delivered Intervention to Increase PrEP Awareness, Knowledge, and Uptake Among Transgender Women.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Medicine, University of California.
- 2Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University Barnett College of Public Health.
- 3Department of Medicine, Albert Enstien University.
- 4Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center.
Abstract
Transgender women (TW) shoulder a disproportionate burden of HIV diagnoses, yet are less likely to use PrEP, due to intersectional social and structural barriers to accessing services. TW utilize social media to share health information and foster community, yet to date, most studies leveraging the power of these platforms for PrEP interventions have focused on gay men. To address this gap, we partnered with TW social media influencers and engaged a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to develop an Instagram-based intervention to increase PrEP awareness, knowledge, and use among TW. Over quarterly meetings, surveys, and interviews, CAB members provided systematic input on intervention design. CAB guidance centered on three themes- leveraging platform functionality; maximizing representation and resonance, and fostering trust and credibility. In collaboration with the CAB, we shortlisted potential influencers and reviewed their accounts for reach, follower demographics, and content. We established paid partnerships with TW influencers (8) and held a 10-h virtual workshop to prepare them to be PrEP educators and navigators for their online followers. Before the funding for this research was interrupted by a NIMH termination letter, we developed the "Sisters" intervention to increase access to PrEP information delivered by TW influencers, foster dialogue around PrEP within online spaces, and provide Instagram-based linkage to vetted, gender affirming, HIV services. Partnering with community was essential to designing a social-media intervention tailored to considerations TW have around PrEP. This community-engaged, influencer-delivered model contributes new insights into digital public health design for marginalized populations.
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BibTeX
@article{zamudiohaas2026sisters,
title = {{"Sisters Influencing Sisters:" Findings from a Community-Engaged Process to Develop a Social Media-Based, Influencer-Delivered Intervention to Increase PrEP Awareness, Knowledge, and Uptake Among Transgender Women.}},
author = {Sophia Zamudio-Haas and Jack Johnson and Katie Singley and Emily A Freedman and Catherine Lane and Elizabeth Knight and Stephen Scott and Viraj V Patel and Jae M Sevelius and Sarah Bauerle Bass},
journal = {Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.)},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1080/08964289.2026.2683389},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904428},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - "Sisters Influencing Sisters:" Findings from a Community-Engaged Process to Develop a Social Media-Based, Influencer-Delivered Intervention to Increase PrEP Awareness, Knowledge, and Uptake Among Transgender Women.
AU - Sophia Zamudio-Haas
AU - Jack Johnson
AU - Katie Singley
AU - Emily A Freedman
AU - Catherine Lane
AU - Elizabeth Knight
AU - Stephen Scott
AU - Viraj V Patel
AU - Jae M Sevelius
AU - Sarah Bauerle Bass
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.)
DO - 10.1080/08964289.2026.2683389
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904428
AB - Transgender women (TW) shoulder a disproportionate burden of HIV diagnoses, yet are less likely to use PrEP, due to intersectional social and structural barriers to accessing services. TW utilize social media to share health information and foster community, yet to date, most studies leveraging the power of these platforms for PrEP interventions have focused on gay men. To address this gap, we partnered with TW social media influencers and engaged a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to develop an Instagram-based intervention to increase PrEP awareness, knowledge, and use among TW. Over quarterly meetings, surveys, and interviews, CAB members provided systematic input on intervention design. CAB guidance centered on three themes- leveraging platform functionality; maximizing representation and resonance, and fostering trust and credibility. In collaboration with the CAB, we shortlisted potential influencers and reviewed their accounts for reach, follower demographics, and content. We established paid partnerships with TW influencers (8) and held a 10-h virtual workshop to prepare them to be PrEP educators and navigators for their online followers. Before the funding for this research was interrupted by a NIMH termination letter, we developed the "Sisters" intervention to increase access to PrEP information delivered by TW influencers, foster dialogue around PrEP within online spaces, and provide Instagram-based linkage to vetted, gender affirming, HIV services. Partnering with community was essential to designing a social-media intervention tailored to considerations TW have around PrEP. This community-engaged, influencer-delivered model contributes new insights into digital public health design for marginalized populations.
SN - 0896-4289
SN - 1940-4026
ER -