SBIR-STTR Award

The goal of the Phase I feasibility study is to document the statistical parameters for an interactive computer program to assess a person's annual risk for exposure to the AIDS virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) based o a sexual history; the program will also simulate the results of behavior changes such as reducing the number of partners, using condoms, and avoiding particular high-risk groups or practices. While seroprevalence rates among different population groups and viral transmission rates for various sexual practices will not be known with any certainty for several more years, an upper bound for each parameter can be estimated from currently-available published studies.The software will be programmed with full user documentation during Phase II, so that the parameters can be changed by the end-user as more information becomes available. The program can be a useful adjunct to counseling in medical settings, worksite wellness clinics, and public health settings, especially STD clinics. A primary goal is reassurance to the "worried well" heterosexual majority that their risk of exposure is, at worst, extremely small and, at best, negligible.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

The Phase I feasibility study established that it was both possible and desirable to create a health education/risk appraisal software instrument to estimate an individual's probability of having acquired, or acquiring, an HIV infection, based on client-generated (interactive and anonymous) information about sexual and drug-use histories. The Phase II project involves refining and updating the parameters of the prototype HIV infection Health Risk Appraisal instrument and producing user-friendly software programs (in English and Spanish) with appropriate documentation for program providers and end-users. The program can be a useful adjunct to counseling in medical settings, worksite wellness programs, sexually transmitted disease clinics, blood banks, and prenatal clinics. A primary goal is reassurance to the "worried well" heterosexual majority that their risk of exposure to HIV is, at worst, extremely small, and, at best, negligible. The Phase I prototype program is available for review at the National AIDS Information Clearinghouse in Washington, D.C. The Phase II program will be more comprehensive.

Anticipated Results:
There is an urgent need for the dissemination of accurate information about how one does, and does not, acquire a risk of exposure to HIV infection. A confidential and anonymous computer-based educational program that processes information about sexual and drug use histories could help individuals to decide if HIV testing were necessary, desirable, or counterproductive.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases