HealthMpowerment Korea: Pilot Testing the Cultural Adaptation of a Digital HIV Intervention for Men Who Have Sex With Men in South Korea | NCT07741123

NCT07741123

Overview

NCT ID: NCT07741123
Lead Sponsor: Seul Ki ChoiOTHER
Official Title: Pilot Testing the Cultural Adaptation of a Digital HIV Intervention for Men Who Have Sex With Men in South Korea
Brief Summary: This study tests a mobile application (app) designed to support sexual health and prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among young men in South Korea. Researchers are interested to learn if the app is acceptable, easy to use, and helpful for young men who have sex with men (MSM).

Participants will complete a 15-minute online survey at the start of the study and another 15-minute survey 3 months later. Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 2 study groups for 3 months:

Intervention Group: Participants receive access to the full mobile app, called Bandi. The app includes health articles, quizzes, community discussion forums, a personal sexual health log, and a clinic finder.

Control Group: Participants receive access to a basic version of the app that includes informational articles and the clinic finder only.

Researchers will compare both groups over 3 months to see if using the full app leads to higher rates of HIV testing and lower sexual risk behaviors.

Status and Timeline

Status: Not yet recruiting
Last Update Posted: Aug 3, 2026Actual
Start Date: Sep 1, 2026Estimated
Primary Completion Date: Mar 31, 2027Estimated
Completion Date

Participation Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study: Adult (18-64)
Sexes Eligible for Study: Male
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Yes
Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Male sex assigned at birth and current male gender identity

Aged 18 to 35 years

Current residence in the Seoul Metropolitan area

Korean nationality

Self-identify as a sexual minority (e.g., gay, bisexual, queer, or other non-heterosexual identity)

HIV-negative or HIV-unaware serostatus

Report at least 1 episode of condomless anal intercourse with a male partner in the prior 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

Assigned female at birth or do not currently identify as male

Younger than 18 or older than 35 years of age

Non-residence in the Seoul Metropolitan area

Do not hold Korean nationality

Do not identify as a sexual minority

Known HIV-positive status

No reported episodes of condomless anal intercourse with a male partner in the prior 6 months

Study Plan

Study Type: Interventional
Phase: Not Applicable
Enrollment: 50Estimated
Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)

Contacts and Locations

Central Contacts: Willey Lin, MBIOT, PMP, ACRP-CPContact
willey@nursing.upenn.edu669-333-9925

Similar Studies

Participant Group/Arms

Bandi App (Full Access)Experimental

Participants in this arm receive full 3-month access to the complete Bandi mobile application. Key features include interactive health articles and quizzes, moderated peer community forums and polls, the Love Log (a sexual health self-monitoring tool), a HIV/STI care locator, and gamification elements (custom avatars and accomplishment badges).

Behavioral: Bandi Mobile Application (Full Access)

Information-Only App (Limited Access)Active Comparator

Participants in this arm receive 3-month access to a limited version of the mobile application. Features are restricted to static educational articles and a care locator.

Behavioral: Information-Only Mobile Application (Limited Access)