A game may help teens with HIV stick to treatment

NCT ID NCT06913660

Disease control Sponsor: Emory University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing a smartphone game called MyGoals to see if it can help adolescents living with HIV in Kenya stay engaged in their care. The game includes role-playing, mini-games, and personal goal-setting to boost knowledge, attitudes, and confidence around treatment and safer sex. The trial involves 120 teens aged 15 to 21 and compares the game plus standard care against standard care alone. The goal is to see if the game improves care engagement and reduces risky behaviors.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: A smartphone game called MyGoals, which includes role-playing, mini-games, and goal-setting to support HIV care engagement.
What this could lead to: If it works, this game could offer a new way to help young people with HIV stay in care, stick to treatment, and avoid risky behaviors.
What could go wrong: This is a small feasibility study, so results may not apply broadly. The game's impact on health outcomes like viral load is uncertain, and it may not be acceptable or safe for all users.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

120 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2025

Finished

Mar 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

15 to 21 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Adolescents, male and female, aged 15-21 in Kisumu County (n=120) Inclusion criteria: * Aged 15-21 at time of recruitment * Diagnosed with HIV and aware of HIV status * Initiated ART at least 6 months prior * Accesses HIV-related care at intervention arm CCC * VL above 50 copies/ml at last test, with last test conducted within 12 months prior to recruitment date Exclusion criteria * Does not have basic literacy in English (Grade 3-4 on the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Scale) * Sibling to an adolescent already enrolled in study * Sibling to adolescent that participated in formative research * Participant in formative research to inform study * Participant in any Tumaini game activities * Enrolled in boarding school * Last recorded viral load test \>12 months prior to recruitment date

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Adolescent Behavior AIDS HIV infectious disease Patient Compliance Reproductive Behavior Sexual Behavior Treatment Adherence and Compliance

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Adolescent behavior AIDS HIV Reproductive behavior Sexual behavior Treatment adherence Treatment compliance

A game may help teens with HIV stick to treatment

What the study statuses mean