A designathon to co-create community-driven HIV self-testing services for Nigerian youth: findings from a participatory event

Abstract

Background: Youth are at high risk for HIV, but are often left out of designing interventions, including those focused on adolescents. We organized a designathon for Nigerian youth to develop HIV self-testing (HIVST) strategies for potential implementation in their local communities. A designathon is a problem-focused event where participants work together over a short period to create and present solutions to a judging panel.Methods: We organized a 72-hour designathon for youth (14-24 years old) in Nigeria to design strategies to increase youth HIVST uptake. Proposals included details about HIVST kit service delivery, method of distribution, promotional strategy, and youth audience. Teams pitched their proposals to a diverse seven-member judging panel who scored proposals based on desirability, feasibility, potential impact and teamwork. We examined participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and summarized themes from their HIVST proposals.Results: Forty-two youth on 13 teams participated in the designathon. The median team size was 3 participants (IQR: 2–4). The median age was 22.5 years (IQR: 21–24), 66.7% were male, 47.4% completed tertiary education, and 50% lived in Lagos State. Themes from proposals included HIVST integration with other health services, digital marketing and distribution approaches, and engaging students. Judges identified seven teams with exceptional HIVST proposals and five teams were supported for further training.Conclusions: The designathon provided a structured method for incorporating youth ideas into HIV service delivery. This approach could differentiate HIV services to be more youth-friendly in Nigeria and other settings.

Tailoring youth-friendly health services in Nigeria: a mixed-methods analysis of a designathon approach

“…We found that the youth teams were able to develop solutions that were highly ranked among independent external reviewers. These findings are consistent with previous designathons where high-quality proposals and ideas emerged at the end of the event [ 30 ]. However, designathons and similar events may not have ideas translated into programs or research studies.…”

“…Students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, age groups, and disciplines played a pivotal role in the designathon activities. This is consistent with other designathon literature that has successfully engaged a diverse group of students to create innovative health solutions [ 30 , 31 ]. This finding also suggests that schools and universities may be a key partner for institutionalizing designathons within some communities.…”

“…Finally, the designathon is capital and time-intensive, which can pose a challenge in resource-limited settings. To minimize costs, we leveraged local resources, such as the Nigerian implementing team comprising of staff from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, and volunteers [ 30 ].…”

“…This designathon provides evidence to shape the delivery and implementation of youth-friendly health services among Nigerian youth. Despite the successes of the 4YBY designathons [ 30 ], designathons in Nigeria is a nascent concept, and there remains substantial room for innovation and improvement to foster the translation of ideas generated to reality. To this end, the 4YBY research team will be incorporating components of the solutions generated from the designathon in a randomized controlled trial that seeks to promote the uptake of HIV self-testing and linkage to youth-friendly health services for HIV care and preventive services among Nigerian youth.…”