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Publication Profiles

The Impact of a Mobile Gaming Intervention to Increase Adherence to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis

Citation

Whiteley L, Craker L, Haubrick KK, et al. The Impact of a Mobile Gaming Intervention to Increase Adherence to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis. AIDS Behav. 2021;25(6):1884-1889. doi:10.1007/s10461-020-03118-3

Implementation stage:

Implementation

Implementation outcomes reported:

Adoption

Continuum target addressed:

PrEP adherence

Geography:

Non-priority jurisdiction

Study Participant Classification:

Recipients of care

Plain Language Objectives

The researchers wanted to find out whether playing a mobile game could help young men who have sex with men take HIV-prevention medicine consistently. They measured medication use through drug levels in red blood cells.

Plain Language Abstract

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, can prevent HIV, but its protection depends on taking medication consistently. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial with 69 young men who have sex with men to test an iPhone game called Viral Combat. Participants were assigned to receive the game or a comparison condition and were followed for 24 weeks. Instead of relying only on self-report, the researchers measured tenofovir diphosphate in red blood cells to determine whether participants reached an optimal PrEP dosing level. At 24 weeks, participants assigned to Viral Combat were 3.75 times as likely as controls to have drug levels consistent with optimal dosing; the 95% confidence interval ranged from 1.20 to 11.77. The findings provide preliminary evidence that a mobile game may support medication-taking among diverse young men who have sex with men. However, the study was small, and the wide confidence interval indicates uncertainty about the size of the effect. Larger studies are needed to confirm the result, assess continued adherence beyond 24 weeks, and determine whether the approach works across different settings and devices.

Key Takeaways

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