Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2025
04:54
Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq
Published on: March 19, 2021
4.7K
Development and Evaluation of a Digital HIV Risk Assessment Tool Incorporated Within an App-Based Self-Testing
Cindy Leung Soo1, Sahir Bhatnagar1, Susan J Bartlett2,3
1Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health; and.
Summary
A new digital tool accurately assesses HIV risk in South African townships. Combining this risk assessment with a self-testing app significantly improves HIV testing specificity and uptake.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Digital Health
Background:
- Low perceived risk of HIV is a significant barrier to accessing HIV services.
- Digital platforms can help individuals assess their HIV risk and inform testing decisions, potentially increasing uptake.
- The HIVSmart! trial provides data to develop and validate such digital tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of HIV in South African township populations.
- To develop and validate a digital HIV risk assessment model for these populations.
- To evaluate the combined efficacy of the risk assessment tool with a digital self-testing program.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Bayesian predictive projection to identify HIV predictors and construct a risk assessment model.
- Validated the model using external data from 3095 participants in the HIVSmart! trial.
- Assessed the model's performance, sensitivity, and specificity, both independently and with the digital self-testing program.
Main Results:
- A 5-predictor model (unmarried status, HIV testing history, partner's HIV status, dwelling, education) showed strong external validation (AUC 0.71).
- The HIV risk staging model demonstrated high sensitivity (91.0%) but low specificity (13.2%).
- Integration with the HIVSmart! digital self-testing program significantly boosted specificity to 91.6% while maintaining high sensitivity (90.9%).
Conclusions:
- This is the first validated digital HIV risk assessment tool for South African townships.
- The study is the first to assess the added value of a risk assessment tool combined with an app-based HIV self-testing program.
- Findings support the use of digital tools to enhance the utilization of HIV testing services.
