Scale-up of an Internet-Delivered Study for HIV+ Men

Authors
Category Primary study
Registry of Trialsclinicaltrials.gov
Year 2015
Although HIV testing and highly effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) have improved survival with HIV, the relatively low level of ART adherence presents a significant public health challenge in terms of the potential to transmit HIV. Preventing transmission in virally unsuppressed HIV+ MSM who have condomless anal sex (CAS) with serodiscordant partners can have a great public health impact. As new HIV infections in MSM have been attributed in part to increased access to sex partners online, it is critical to deliver behavioral interventions to HIV+ MSM online to reach many high-risk men at a relatively low cost. The investigators\' theoretically-grounded HIV prevention videos about CAS, HIV disclosure, and testing in MSM were rigorously evaluated among MSM recruited online. Findings indicated significant reductions in CAS and significant increases in HIV status disclosure at 3-month follow-up, compared to baseline. In a subsequent online, randomized controlled trial (RCT) for MSM, investigators found significant reductions in CAS among MSM in the video arm at 60-day follow-up, compared to baseline; HIV+ MSM in the video arm reduced UAI, including serodiscordant CAS (SDCAS) at 60-day follow-up, compared to baseline. Based on these findings, investigators worked with POZ.com (POZ), the largest website for HIV+ individuals, to test whether they could recruit ethnically diverse HIV+ MSM and were very successful. The investigators have identified a potentially highly effective and feasible risk reduction intervention approach for HIV+ MSM. With the commitment of POZ and a strong team of experts, the investigators propose to reshoot the videos to show the perspective of an HIV-positive man\'s experience with relationships and struggle ART adherence. The intervention videos will provide short doses for 10 online sessions (including boosters). We will target HIV+ MSM who are virally unsuppressed and monitor self-reported clinical indicators (i.e., viral load). Further, we will target online recruitment by race/ethnicity to enroll equal numbers of HIV+ White, Black and Hispanic MSM for balanced representation; improving retention with incentives and a proven online platform; including educational information about ART adherence; and cost and cost-effectiveness analyses for potentially averted HIV infections to determine health-related cost savings. Online, the investigators will recruit and follow a national sample of 1,500 high-risk, virally unsuppressed HIV+ MSM for 12 months.
Epistemonikos ID: f52196f0a80a324b3ddec64a02bf88e63621e59c
First added on: May 11, 2024