An interventional study of Bandi Mobile Application (Full Access) and Information-Only Mobile Application (Limited Access) in HIV Infections, HIV Prevention and Care and Risk Reduction Behavior, sponsored by Seul Ki Choi. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in South Korea. Open to male participants aged 18 Years to 35 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-06.
Sponsored by Seul Ki Choi · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
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:
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.
This pilot study evaluates Bandi, a culturally adapted digital HIV prevention intervention for young Korean men who have sex with men (MSM). Bandi is adapted from HealthMpowerment (HMP 2.0), an evidence-informed, status-neutral digital health platform designated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for HIV risk reduction. Guided by Barrera and Castro's heuristic model for cultural adaptation, the trial represents Phase 3 (preliminary adaptation testing) following preliminary information gathering and beta testing (N=10).
Participants randomized to the full intervention arm receive 3-month access to the complete Bandi platform, consisting of five core integrated components:
The control arm receives access restricted to static health articles and the Care Locator component.
The study is conducted remotely in South Korea through a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and Ewha Womans University. Local recruitment and participant communication are managed by trained staff at Ewha Womans University in collaboration with community stakeholder collectives.
In addition to self-reported web-based survey data (Qualtrics) collected at baseline and 3 months, application engagement will be continuously monitored via passively recorded paradata (e.g., module usage, login frequency, feature interactions). Statistical analyses will follow an intent-to-treat (ITT) approach. Chi-square/Fisher's Exact tests and Wilcoxon Two-Sample tests will evaluate preliminary differences between study arms regarding primary outcomes (routine HIV testing rates, reduction in condomless anal intercourse) and secondary outcomes (PrEP awareness/uptake, everyday discrimination, social support, depression, anxiety, and resilience).
4,734 studies on the registry are indexed under HIV Infections; 244 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 50 is below the median of 80 across 3,489 interventional studies indexed under HIV Infections.
Browse HIV Infections studies →This is the only study on the registry with Seul Ki Choi as lead sponsor.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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)
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)
A culturally adapted digital HIV prevention mobile application designed for young men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Korea. Participants receive 3-month access to five core integrated features: interactive health articles and quizzes (covering PrEP, adherence, and sexual health); moderated peer community discussion forums and polls; Love Log (a sexual health tracking and planning tool); Care Locator (a directory of local HIV/STI testing centers); and gamification elements (customizable avatars and badges).
A limited version of the mobile application provided to the control group over a 3-month period. Access is restricted to static online educational articles/resources and the Care Locator feature for finding local HIV/STI testing centers.
Proportion of Participants Who Reported Receiving an HIV Test
Self-reported status of receiving an HIV test (Yes/No) as assessed via a web-based survey.
Time frame: 3 months post-randomization
Change in Frequency of Condomless Anal Intercourse (CAI)
Self-reported number of condomless anal intercourse episodes with male partners in the prior 3 months, assessed via web-based survey.
Time frame: Baseline and 3 months post-randomization
Plan to share: No — To protect participant privacy under local and international regulations-including South Korea's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and IRB protocols-individual participant data will not be publicly shared. The study involves sensitive sexual health data among a vulnerable population, and local regulatory restrictions prohibit the open release or cross-border sharing of raw individual participant records.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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