This study addresses the pervasive challenges of low hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) testing rates coupled with the stigma associated with these diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with a special focus on Bangladesh. This study aims to introduce an innovative crowdsourcing intervention that involves medical students, a crucial cohort with the potential to shape healthcare attitudes. Through a structured crowdsourcing approach, the study designs and implements a digital intervention to counter stigma and promote testing among medical students in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Participants submitted brief videos or texts aiming to encourage hepatitis testing and reduce stigma. The call, advertised through meetings, emails, and social media, welcomed entries in English or Bengali over 3 weeks. A panel of six judges evaluated each entry based on clarity, impact potential, innovation, feasibility, and sustainability, awarding prizes to students behind the highest-rated submissions. Seventeen videos and four text messages received an average score of 5.5 among 440 surveyed medical students, predominantly 22 years old (16%) and in their fourth year (21%). After viewing, 360 students underwent screening, identifying two previously undiagnosed HBV cases referred for care; no HCV infections were found. Notably, 41% expressed concerns about individuals with HBV working in hospitals or having a doctor living with HBV. In conclusion, this pilot showcases the power of medical students in spearheading campaigns to counter hepatitis stigma and encourage testing. By utilizing crowdsourcing, the study introduces an innovative approach to a persistent issue in LMICs specially in Bangladesh, offering a model that could potentially be adapted by other regions grappling with similar challenges.

BACKGROUND: Rapid urbanization, academic pressures, and developmental life transition stressors contribute to mental health stress for postsecondary students in China. Effective prevention, early identification, and timely intervention are challenged by stigma, a lack of mental health literacy, and inadequate mental health resources.
OBJECTIVE: Our implementation science (IS) research project is aimed at evaluating the use of an evidence-informed mental health promotion intervention named Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment - Linking Youth and \'Xin\' (hearts) (ACE-LYNX) to promote university student mental health in Jinan, China.
METHODS: We will engage and collaborate with Shandong Mental Health Center, the provincial mental health center, and six local universities in different regions of Jinan. The ACE-LYNX intervention aims to reduce social stigma against mental illness, enhance mental health literacy, and improve access to quality mental health care by increasing interdisciplinary collaboration and forming a mental health network. It is based on two evidence-based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Group Empowerment Psychoeducation (GEP), and it will be delivered through online learning and in-person group training. The project will train 90 interdisciplinary professionals using the model. They will in turn train 15 professionals and 20 students at each university. The project will adopt the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, which provides a structure to examine the process and outcomes of implementation using mixed methods comprising quantitative and qualitative approaches along five dimensions: reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance.
RESULTS: Over the course of the project, 720 champions will be directly trained. They will contribute to developing a formal and informal mental health network, strengthened by student-led mental health initiatives and professional-led initiatives to promote collaborative care and facilitated care pathways. We anticipate that our project will reach out to 11,000 to 18,000 students.
CONCLUSIONS: This IS protocol will outline our unique intervention model and key steps to contextualize, implement, and evaluate community-based mental health intervention.
UNASSIGNED: PRR1-10.2196/25592.

Stigmatizing attitudes from health professionals toward people living with HIV (PLHIV) constitute a key barrier to HIV care. Despite considerable progress in HIV stigma-reduction research, we are still searching for effective strategies that can be implemented on a larger scale. To narrow this research gap, the present study investigated a novel cost-effective approach to reducing HIV-related stigma among health professionals. Interactive experiential games were used to help participants gain first-hand experience of potential stressors that PLHIV might encounter. The effectiveness of this game-based experiential approach was compared with that of in vivo contact in reducing HIV-related stigma among students in the health-care fields. Eighty-eight students of health-related programs in Hong Kong were randomly assigned to either the game-based or in vivo contact program. They completed measures of stigmatizing attitudes and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge at pre-program, post-program, and one-month follow-up. Findings showed that the effectiveness of the game-based experiential approach in reducing HIV-related stigma was similar to that of in vivo contact both at post-program and one-month follow-up. Further research is needed to explore the potential value of the game-based approach in reducing HIV stigma among health professionals.