Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Sep 22, 2025
Date Accepted: Dec 5, 2025
Effectiveness of a Digital Awareness Application in HIV/AIDS Mitigation Among Transgender Individuals in Rawalpindi District: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
HIV/AIDS is a disease associated with stigma and discrimination, which creates a hindrance to adopting preventive and treatment methods, especially in vulnerable populations, including transgender community.
Objective:
The primary objectives of this study are to explore awareness barriers related to HIV/AIDS, develop and pilot a mobile-based digital application, and evaluate its acceptability and usability within the transgender community.
Methods:
The research will employ a quasi-experimental design, utilizing a pre-test and post-test comparison between an intervention group that will use the digital application and a comparison group that will not. In the first phase, this study will conduct a situational analysis including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a cross-sectional survey to assess baseline awareness. At the second stage, an application will be designed and developed. The third stage will comprise a pre-intervention assessment, the implementation of the App, and a post-app assessment.
Results:
Recruitment of individuals will commence in August 2025 for the first phase, with subsequent phases to follow. The data collection and analysis will be completed and finalized after the intervention deployment in August 2026.
Conclusions:
The results of this study will provide the effectiveness of a mobile-based application in transgender community. These results will decide the continuation and further scale-up of this intervention. The findings will create evidence to inform favorable strategies for vulnerable populations.
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