# Supplement for an intervention to increase HIV Testing Uptake among Adolescents and Young Adults

> **NIH NIH R44** · MEDIA REZ, LLC · 2023 · $100,000

## Abstract

This supplement is to cover expenses that could not have been foreseen at the time of
application, including recruiting costs and incentive costs. The study aims to assess the
acceptability, usability, and efficacy of using state-of-the-art social media and game technology
to increase HIV testing among adolescents and young adults (AYA) ages 13-24. Rates of HIV
testing among AYA are low, resulting in high proportions of AYA who are unaware of their HIV
infection. Since many AYA are highly engaged with social media and games, these technologies
may hold the key to reaching this population. While previous behavior-change games have
shown positive results by using the compelling nature of gameplay to make health education
entertaining and shift attitudes towards disease prevention, this intervention proposes to
incorporate a new innovation which changes the way video games are used to increase HIV
testing and linkage to care. The intended result is a novel experience which plays like a game
while prompting dialogue about HIV risk assessment, testing, and linkage to prevention in a
manner that may be more acceptable to AYA compared to traditional public health messages.
We have developed an AYA-informed game in which players can create characters like
themselves, model different forms of dating and sex practices to learn the consequences in a
simulated, non-health or life-threatening environment, and identify locations for HIV testing and
prevention services. We seek to test the efficacy of this game and hypothesize that its use will
result in increased HIV testing and lead to a reduction in risky behaviors among AYA at risk for
HIV. In this Phase II application, our multidisciplinary team recruited AYA for iterative focus
groups to confirm the acceptability of additional game enhancements. We then conducted pilot
field testing of the game intervention among AYA (n=10) to ensure usability, acceptability and to
conduct quality assurance testing. We now plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial to
determine the efficacy of the intervention on HIV testing uptake. We will enroll 300 sexually
active HIV negative AYA and randomize them to receive either the life-simulation game
intervention or an app which contains HIV educational materials. We will compare self-reported
HIV testing between the two study groups. Successful completion of these aims will
demonstrate how this product may advance the effective implementation of an evidence-based
behavioral intervention for increased HIV testing and linkage to preventive care among youth.
Successful development of this core technology could also be revised to be applicable to other
medical conditions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10881477
- **Project number:** 3R44HD088332-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** MEDIA REZ, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Amanda Derryck Castel
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $100,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10881477

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10881477, Supplement for an intervention to increase HIV Testing Uptake among Adolescents and Young Adults (3R44HD088332-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-04 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10881477. Licensed CC0.

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