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Reach and effectiveness outcomes of the "I'm Ready" HIV self-testing program in Black communities in Canada
Wale Ajiboye1,2, Jason Lo Hog Tian3, Wangari Tharao4
1MAP Center for Urban Health Solution, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Wale.ajiboye@unityhealth.to.
Insights
The I'm Ready program successfully increased HIV self-testing among Black individuals in Canada, reaching a significant portion of those needing tests. This technology-integrated approach shows promise for expanding HIV testing access in Black communities.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Implementation Science
- HIV Prevention
Background:
- Facility-based HIV testing presents barriers for certain communities.
- HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a strategy to overcome these barriers.
- The I'm Ready program utilizes technology to promote HIVST uptake in Canada.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reach of the I'm Ready program among Black people in Canada.
- To assess the effectiveness of the I'm Ready program in facilitating HIVST.
- To examine HIV testing uptake and results among Black participants.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of data from the I'm Ready implementation study (June 2021-Dec 2023).
- Defined reach as intervention access; effectiveness as test kit orders and result reporting via app.
- Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and outcomes.
Main Results:
- 3082 Black participants accessed the intervention, reaching 86% of those with indications for HIV testing.
- 38% were first-time testers and 33% had not tested in the past year.
- 29% ordered test kits, and 31% reported results (mostly negative).
Conclusions:
- The I'm Ready program effectively reached Black individuals and promoted HIV self-testing uptake.
- This program demonstrates potential for increasing HIV testing coverage within Black communities in Canada.
Objectives:
HIV self-testing is a strategy to scale up HIV testing for communities that face significant barriers to facility-based testing services. The I'm Ready program-an integrated technology solution-is an implementation strategy designed to promote the uptake and use of HIV self-testing kits in Canada. The objective of this study is to examine the reach and effectiveness of the I'm Ready program among Black people in Canada.
Method:
We performed a secondary analysis of data for Black people who participated in the I'm Ready implementation study from June 2021 to Dec 2023. We defined reach as the number and percentage of persons with indications for HIV testing who accessed the intervention and effectiveness as the number and percentage of those who ordered test kits and reported test results through the app. Participants' characteristics and variables of interest were summarized using descriptive statistics.
Results:
Overall, 3082 (22%-3082/14,071) Black participants accessed the intervention between June 2021 and December 2023. The intervention reached a majority (86%-1846/2141) of Black people with indications for HIV testing who were either first-time testers (38%-824/2190) or had not tested in the previous 1 year (33%-712/2190). Overall, 29% (894/3082) ordered test kits through the app and 31% (274/894) of those who ordered test kits reported their test results. The majority (72%-240/333) of the test results were negative, 26% (87/333) were invalid, and 2% (6/333) of the results reported were positive.
Conclusion:
The I'm Ready program reached Black people with indications for HIV testing and facilitated the uptake of HIV self-testing. It could be a potential way to increase HIV testing in Black communities in Canada.
