JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Adolescent and young men who have sex with men (AYMSM) are experiencing an ongoing epidemic in Vietnam. HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake in among AYMSM remain low in Vietnam, especially compared to older men, AYMSM living with HIV are also less likely to initiate HIV care.

Objective:

We propose to adapt M-Cubed - an evidence-based mHealth intervention developed in the US to create Together+. This intervention is status-neutral application will promote HIV testing, PrEP use, and HIV care that will be adapted to serve AYMSM in Vietnam.

Methods:

Adaptation will focus on ensuring that content, features, and design of the app are culturally relevant to AYMSM in Vietnam. The adaptation process will comprise five phases: (1) Adaptation and creation of videos and messages in Vietnamese, (2) In-depth interviews to further inform app adaptation; (3) App prototype development (4) App theater testing, and (5) Beta testing of the adapted app. AYMSM 15-19 years older and healthcare staff in Hanoi, Vietnam will be recruited for in-depth interviews in Phase 1 and focus group discussions in Phase 4. To evaluate feasibility and usability of Together+, we will provide 30 AYMSM with access and encourage them to use the app for 30 days; we will assess observed usage and collect quantitative and qualitative from test users.

Results:

As of March 2025, we are in the process of adapting the set of 15 videos to Vietnamese AYSMM (Phase 1) and preparing for recruitment for the next phase. We expect to start enrolling participants for qualitative interviews for Phase 2 in March 2025. Data collection for the pilot phase will be completed by August 2026.

Conclusions:

Adaptations of proven effective interventions are a promising and efficient way to develop interventions for new service populations, but require formal adaptation and evaluation in the new service population. Once culturally adapted for AYMSM in Vietnam, Together+ has the potential to significantly contribute to improving the HIV prevention and care continua for this population. The findings of the adaptation process will document the level of usability and feasibility of Together+ and shed important light on perceptions of AYMSM and other stakeholders in Vietnam on status-neutral mHealth interventions.