CyberSenga: Internet-based HIV Prevention in Uganda

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The investigators propose to design and test an Internet-based HIV prevention program for adolescents in Uganda.

Detailed Description
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HIV/AIDS is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in Uganda. Despite aggressive advances in HIV prevention efforts, recent data suggest that HIV prevalence is increasing generally, and HIV knowledge, a direct contributor to behavior, is on the decline among young people specifically as compared to a decade ago. The Internet is a promising mode of intervention delivery in resource poor-settings because the costs associated with scaling up are minimal; dissemination online is the same if one person or 100,000 people use the program. Just as important, it provides access to important health information in a stigma-free, anonymous atmosphere. Our recent data indicate that 45% of adolescents in Mbarara, Uganda have used the Internet, 78% of whom went online at least once in the previous week. Eighty-one percent of respondents in the same survey indicated they would go to an HIV prevention web site if it existed. Based upon these data, we propose to develop a culturally appropriate, Internet-based HIV prevention program designed specifically for Ugandan adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Our specific aims are as follows: Specific Aim 1: Design a 6-hour, Internet-based HIV prevention program for adolescents. Content will be culturally tailored to the HIV preventive information, motivation, and behavioral skills needs of Ugandan adolescents. Specific Aim 2: Test the intervention in a randomized controlled trial (n=500) among adolescents attending grades Secondary 1-4 (similar to US high school grades 8th - 11th) at day schools in Mbarara. This project has the potential to develop low-cost and salable interventions to HIV transmission risk behaviors among adolescents in Uganda.

Official Title
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CyberSenga: Harnessing the Power of the Internet to Prevent HIV in Ugandan Youth

Conditions
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Sexual Abstinence, Condom Use

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: CyberSenga


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Enrollment in grades Secondary 1 through 4 at a partner secondary school Having used a computer or the Internet at least once in the past year Not having been part of the intervention development activities Caregiver informed permission and adolescent informed assent Exclusion Criteria: none

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 12 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: CyberSenga<br>6-module HIV prevention program tailored for adolescents in Uganda | Behavioral: CyberSenga<br>* Internet-based HIV prevention program<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br>treatment as usual - the sexual health education adolescents currently receive in secondary school | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sex Without a Condom as Assessed by Self-report | Unprotected sex (i.e., vaginal or anal sex without a condom) in the past three months | 6-months post-intervention | 
| Sexual Abstinence | Not having had vaginal or anal sex in the past three months | 6-months post-intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Abstinence at Three-month Follow-up | Sexual abstinence (i.e., not having vaginal or anal sex) in the past 90 days | 3 months post-intervention | 
| Unprotected Sex at Three-month Follow-up | Ever had vaginal or anal sex without a condom in the past 90 days | 3 months post-intervention | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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HIV prevention, technology, adolescent, developing countries