Efficacy of Serious Game Interventions on HCV Education for HIV Patients

Efficacy of Serious Game Interventions on Hepatitis C Education for HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Hepatitis C transmission has a high rate of infection and re-infection among PLWH men who have sex with men (MSM), and co-infection increases liver and HIV morbidity.

The MSM group has a low level of awareness and perception of hepatitis C, and lacks health beliefs and prevention behaviors about hepatitis C. In the absence of hepatitis C cognition and health belief, it should be possible to use the health belief model to intervene and design teaching programs to improve the effectiveness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment. In the past, hepatitis C prevention education mostly focused on people who inject drugs (PWID), and was taught in traditional teaching methods. However, the common cause of hepatitis C infection among drug addicts is the sharing of needles and equipment. Education is mainly based on drug harm reduction and prevention education, while the MSM group is infected with hepatitis C mainly through risky sexual behaviors. The hepatitis C prevention education of drug addicts is adopted The content is clearly not applicable to the MSM population. Due to the stigma of PLWH's MSM in the society, individual cases will be subject to prejudice, discrimination and unfair treatment, and they are worried about being excluded from outsiders. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a learning environment with a sense of privacy, security and respect.

Serious Games is an educational game that provides a ubiquitous way of learning, using smartphones as a teaching tool, allowing learners to maintain a sense of privacy. Positive outcomes in cognitions, attitudes and behaviours related to health promotion and disease management. In terms of sexually transmitted diseases prevention measures, game content can be formulated for specific ethnic groups, and sensitive topics can be placed in the game. Without being exposed to real risks, players can simulate the consequences of various risks and corresponding prevention methods to prevent Motivate learners to solve problems and learn motivation, and give clear feedback, thereby increasing the knowledge of hepatitis C, health beliefs and the effectiveness of preventive self-efficacy.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: HIV Infections
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Serious Game

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 162
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taipei, Taiwan, 100
    • Yi Ting Chen

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 45 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• HIV-infected men who have sex with men aged 20-45
• Can communicate in appropriate language and understand the research content
• Able to use smartphone products

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to fully participate in this study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Web for HCV education
Experimental: Serious Game for HCV education	Other: Serious Game; using Serious Game for HCV education

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The effect of "serious game-assisted teaching" intervention program on MSM.	The changes of Questionnaire score of hepatitis C knowledge, health beliefs, and self-efficacy will be measured, Questionnaire including: HCV Knowledge Scale:Scores range from 0 to 15, with higher scores representing higher knowledge of hepatitis C; Health Belief Model (HBM):Scores range from 1 to 28, with higher scores representing more positive hepatitis C prevention beliefs.; Self-Efficacy Scale:Scores range from 1 to 8, with higher scores representing better self-efficacy.	12 weeks after intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Taiwan University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 23, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 9, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): August 11, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 18, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 16, 2024
• Last Verified: October 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Hepatitis C; MSM; Serious Games; Health Belief Patterns
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Lentivirus Infections; Retroviridae Infections; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Immune System Diseases; Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; HIV Infections
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202206084RIND

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No