UB HIV prevention expert publishes commentary in The Lancet

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A University at Buffalo researcher who studies adolescent HIV prevention in African and diaspora communities was invited to contribute a commentary in the April issue of The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong’s commentary discusses the significance of a major randomized, controlled trial evaluating Tumaini, a digital narrative game designed to support HIV prevention among adolescents, and what the Tumaini trial signals about the future of HIV prevention for young people. Her commentary examines how developmentally appropriate digital interventions, such as interactive storytelling and game-based learning, can play a key role in engaging adolescents earlier in prevention efforts.

Adolescents remain among the populations most vulnerable to HIV infection globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, says Aidoo-Frimpong, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“A major challenge is that prevention often reaches young people too late,” she says. “Many adolescents begin navigating relationships and sexual decision-making before receiving developmentally appropriate information about HIV prevention.”

Another challenge, she notes, is that many traditional HIV prevention programs are not designed with adolescents in mind and, therefore, may not reflect how young people learn or engage with complex social situations, such as discussions about sexual and reproductive health.

Tumaini addresses these gaps through an interactive narrative game delivered on a smartphone. The format allows young people to explore choices and consequences in a private and engaging way while building communication and risk awareness skills. In the game, adolescents guide characters through realistic storylines involving relationships, peer pressure and decision-making.

The game was designed by researchers at Emory University with input from Kenyan and international specialists in adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The team’s trial found that adolescents who played the game were less likely to report a high-risk sexual debut compared to those in the control group.

“These findings highlight the promise of developmentally appropriate digital tools to complement school, community and clinic-based HIV prevention programs,” says Aidoo-Frimpong, whose research focuses on advancing HIV prevention through digital health innovation, community-engaged research and implementation science, particularly among adolescents, women and African immigrant communities in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa.

One of her major projects is called Y-FIT Ghana (Youth-Friendly Innovative Tools for HIVST, oral and LAI PrEP) and is a national HIV social innovation initiative designed to increase young people’s access to HIV self-testing, oral PrEP, and long-acting injectable PrEP. Y-FIT is among the first national HIV prevention efforts in Ghana to apply social innovation approaches to adolescent and youth health, according to Aidoo-Frimpong.

She has also co-led the development of a digital choose-your-own-adventure intervention that uses interactive storytelling to address sexual health, HIV prevention and stigma among Black immigrant adolescents and young adults in the U.S. The intervention allows young people to navigate realistic relationship and health scenarios and see how different choices influence outcomes. This intervention has demonstrated the potential of narrative-based digital tools to support engagement, learning and decision-making around HIV prevention.

“My work seeks to push the field of HIV prevention toward approaches that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and grounded in the lived realities of young people,” Aidoo-Frimpong says. “By integrating digital innovation with implementation science and community partnership, my research aims to expand how prevention strategies are designed, delivered, and scaled in both U.S. and global health contexts.”

Digital technologies, storytelling and interactive platforms offer new opportunities to engage adolescents in prevention before risk begins, Aidoo-Frimpong points out.

“One of the key lessons from studies like the Tumaini trial is that HIV prevention must evolve alongside the ways young people communicate, learn and interact,” she says.

“For researchers, practitioners and policymakers, the challenge now is to build on this momentum by investing in youth-centered, culturally responsive approaches that combine scientific rigor with creativity and innovation.”