Research Brief: Simple Visual Aids Raise Awareness and Knowledge About HIV Treatment

Bottles filled with red and black beads representing the HIV virus among healthy cells improve understanding of terminology, attitudes toward living with HIV, and the intention to take medication to prevent transmission. People living with HIV in Philadelphia interacted with B-OK bottles while a researcher explained that they show the amount of virus in the body when HIV is diagnosed, if HIV is untreated, and with daily antiretroviral therapy. B-OK increased understanding that medication prevents dying from HIV and reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to others. The bottles could support a U.S. initiative to cut new HIV diagnoses, currently stuck at 38,000 per year, by 90% by 2030.