The use of digital vending machines (VMs) to delivery HIV self-testing (HIVST) could expand HIV testing in priority populations. We surveyed primarily Black African (BA) participants and other minority ethnicities, to identify acceptability, preferences, and concerns of using VMs for HIVST dispensing. A structured survey was developed with Black African and Caribbean, Latin American and other Minorities (BLAM) communities, and distributed between September 2018 and January 2019. Participants were recruited using mobile tablet surveys distributed by outreach volunteers, and online through BLAM communities’ websites, workshops, and language-specific messages on social media. Descriptive analyses were undertaken stratified by ethnic groups. One hundred and twenty-eight (67.0%) participants identified as BAs, 31 (16.2%) Black Caribbeans (BCs), 22 (11.5%) Latin Americans (LAs), and 10 (5.2%) other non-white ethnicities (ONWEs). Rates of willingness to use the HIVST were high in all groups except BCs (BAs 77.9%, BCs 53.6%, LAs 81.8%, ONWEs 80.0%). Most participants favoured healthcare-associated venues for VM placement, but there were differences in community venues favoured by different ethnic groups and concerns reported. HIVST is acceptable in many BLAM communities and increases understanding of the concerns and how to address them in the design of VMs for HIVST, to expand HIV testing in these priority communities.

Efforts within the combination HIV prevention in the UK have not been sufficiently broad enough to address important aspects of behavioural issues to the end of the HIV epidemic, while also neglecting the role of community-level interventions in developing a more sustainable approach. The restricted impact presented in biomedical interventions calls for the redesign of a more comprehensive preventative protocol, where psychosocial and behavioural strategies that target high-risk local communities are more strongly emphasised. A comprehensive review of empirical studies was undertaken to investigate the reliability of community-based HIV prevention practices, which have targeted behavioural change in demographics and contexts similar to those presented in London. Further recommendations were developed and directed at London’s HIV and sexual health leading actors. The findings of this review have reinforced the argument for the need of community-based, culturally relevant programmes alongside and interweaving with biomedical approaches, and not solely biomedical-focused HIV prevention.