Identifying opportunities to integrate technology into HIV prevention for South A

描述（由申请人提供）：艾滋病毒/艾滋病是南非发病率和死亡率的主要原因1,2，估计每五个成年人中就有一个是艾滋病毒阳性。年轻人承受着特别高的疾病负担：34%的艾滋病毒新病例发生在15-24岁之间。此外，据估计，如果南非目前的艾滋病毒感染率保持稳定，今天活着的15岁青少年中有50%将死于艾滋病。艾滋病毒对南非青少年的影响怎么强调都不为过。几位研究人员最近指出，在南非，以青少年为重点的干预措施并没有产生预期的效果。当然，干预交付机制是低成本的，可扩展的，可修改的，以反映不断变化的行为趋势，如互联网和短信，应该被视为额外的工具，以增加现有的艾滋病毒预防计划的武器库。作为设计这种艾滋病预防方案的第一步，本R03建议对南非1500名小学生进行定量调查。研究结果将确定技术可能为艾滋病毒预防信息传递带来的机会。这一R03将作为后续R01的启动平台，该R01提出了一项针对南非青少年的具有文化敏感性以及发展和技术相关性的艾滋病毒预防计划的设计。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HIV/AIDS is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in South Africa1,2, where an estimated one in five adults are HIV positive. Young people bear a particularly high disease burden: 34% of new cases of HIV occur among those 15-24 years of age. Moreover, it is estimated that if the current HIV infection rates remain stable in South Africa, 50% of 15-year-olds alive today will die from AIDS. The impact that HIV is having on South African adolescents cannot be overstated. Several researchers have recently noted that adolescent-focused interventions in South Africa are not having an impact as effective as desired. Certainly, intervention delivery mechanisms that are low-cost, scalable, and modifiable to reflect changing behavioral trends, such as the Internet and text messaging, should be considered as additional tools to add to the arsenal of available HIV prevention programs. As the first step in designing such an HIV prevention program, this R03 proposes to conduct a quantitative survey among 1,500 grade school youth in South Africa. Findings will identify opportunities that technology may pose for HIV prevention message delivery. This R03 will serve as a launching pad for a subsequent R01 proposing the design of a HIV prevention program that is culturally sensitive, as well as developmentally and technologically relevant for adolescents in South Africa. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: HIV/AIDS is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality for adolescents living in South Africa. New approaches to HIV prevention are needed. Now is the time to develop technology- based HIV prevention programs in resource-limited countries. Given the rapidity with which technology use is changing however, it is unclear whether the Internet or text messaging is the preferred delivery mechanism. Our proposed research project will identify opportunities to use technology as a novel message delivery mechanism with South African adolescents.