Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Roya Sahebi ¹
• Hossein Dehghanian ²
• Alireza Mirahmadizadeh ³
• Leyla Sahebi ⁴
• Reza Yousefi Farkhad ⁵
• Simin Khayatzadeh-Safaie ⁶
• Nazila Sattari ⁷
• Leila Jahangiry ⁸
• Hamid Sharifi ^{9, 10}

¹ Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

² National Public Health Management Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

³ Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

⁴ Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

⁵ Drug and Laboratory Department, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

⁶ Department of Communicable Disease Control, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

⁷ Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

⁸ Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

⁹ HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

¹⁰ Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

Abstract

Background: Poor diagnosis remains a significant barrier to effective HIV control in Iran. A web-based screening program
could provide a novel approach to address this challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based HIV screening program for identifying individuals with high-risk HIV behaviors in Iran.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an educational website where individuals could anonymously complete a risk assessment questionnaire. Those with a history of high-risk behaviors were invited to attend voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers for HIV testing. Various strategies, including text messages, Instagram posts, and advertisements on local health center websites, were employed to promote website visitation.
Results: The website received 11,581 visits from 4,303 unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Of these, 3,079 visitors (71.0%) accessed the questionnaire section, and 456 (14.8%) completed the questionnaire. Nine respondents (1.97%) were under 16 years old and were excluded. Among the remaining 447 participants, 254 (56.8%) were from Tabriz City. Of these, 180 (70.9%) reported engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors, drug use, or occupational exposure. Notably, this group’s five individuals (2.8%) reported visiting VCT centers after completing the questionnaire.
Conclusion: Developing an educational website combined with targeted promotion appears to be a feasible and potentially effective strategy for increasing awareness of HIV and motivating individuals to seek testing. Incorporating online counseling and interactive educational materials managed by trained professionals may enhance the program’s impact. Further studies are recommended to comprehensively evaluate this approach’s feasibility and acceptability.

Highlights

Roya Sahebi (Google Scholar)

Hamid Sharifi (Google Scholar)

Keywords

• Acceptability
• Feasibility
• HIV
• Plausibility
• Web-based screening