NCT04814654

CHALO! 2.0: A Mobile Technology Based Intervention to Accelerate HIV Testing and Linkage to Preventive Treatment.

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 1,004 (actual)
• Sponsor: Albert Einstein College of Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

While HIV prevalence among Men Seeking Men (MSM) in India is 10-15 times higher than in the general population (4.3% vs 0.3%), current interventions for Indian MSM have limited reach. In order to reduce the burden of HIV in MSM, innovative, far-reaching prevention and treatment strategies are needed. Guided by the increase access to internet-based social and mobile technologies (SMT) (e.g., SMS, WhatsApp, dating apps) globally and in India, this is a 3-arm parallel, pragmatic randomized controlled trial of community-developed, theory based behavioral intervention (CHALO! 2.0) delivered via WhatsApp (secure SMS application) compared to an Attention-Matched Control, or a Digital Coupon for free HIV testing only control conditions. The primary outcomes are HIV-testing at 6 months (3 months after the end of the intervention) and linkage-to-preventive care (counseling or pre-exposure prophylaxis) at 12 months. The secondary outcomes are the frequency of HIV-testing by 18 months.

Conditions

• Hiv

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	CHALO! 2.0	The components of the intervention are: Contents of digital-media (sent twice/week for 12 weeks) on the following topics: HIV testing, prevention, treatment, linkage-to-care; Personalized digital coupon for free testing; Webpage listing testing/ care sites; access to online outreach workers.
BEHAVIORAL	Attention-matched control (AMC)	The components of the intervention are: Contents of digital-media (sent twice/week for 12 weeks) only related to general health information; Personalized digital coupon for free testing; Webpage listing testing/ care sites; access to online outreach workers.
BEHAVIORAL	Digital coupon only (DCO)	The components of the intervention are: Digital coupon for free HIV testing; Webpage listing testing/ care sites; access to online outreach workers.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-04-22
• Primary completion: 2024-06-27
• Completion: 2024-12-30
• First posted: 2021-03-24
• Last updated: 2026-01-20
• Results posted: 2025-11-06

Locations

1 site across 1 country: India