Project Details
Description
Background: Despite effective HIV prevention and treatment, the global HIV epidemic continues to grow.
Current programs to engage populations at high HIV risk have had limited impact, in part because they do not
reach those at highest risk. To reduce the global burden of HIV, new, evidence-based, far-reaching strategies
are needed to engage individuals at risk in HIV prevention and treatment. In the U.S. and globally, people are
increasingly using mobile/social technologies (SMT) (e.g. dating apps, WhatsApp, Facebook) to socialize and
meet partners. While this shift in how individuals socialize has disrupted traditional face-to-face outreach, SMT
provides an unprecedented opportunity to engage historically hard-to-reach groups, such as men who have
sex with men (MSM), for HIV prevention and treatment. Th goal of this study is to test whether a SMT-based
behavioral intervention that includes a digital coupon for free HIV testing (CHALO! 2.0) enhances HIV testing
and linkage-to-care among a population that continues to experience high rates of HIV infection in India.
The scientific premise of this proposal is that a community-developed, theory-based intervention will
engage MSM at high risk of HIV who are reached online, and that the intervention will increase HIV knowledge
and enhance motivation and behavioral skills to obtain HIV testing and get linked to HIV prevention (if HIV-
uninfected) or HIV treatment (if HIV-infected). The rationale for this research study is that determining efficacy
of a rapidly scalable SMT-based behavioral intervention is needed before widespread dissemination. The
significance of this research question is that even a modestly effective SMT-based HIV prevention intervention
may efficiently reach many individuals at high risk of HIV and lead to increased HIV status awareness, better
linkage-to-care, and fewer new HIV infections.
Methods: In a pragmatic randomized controlled trial, we will determine whether CHALO! 2.0 results in
increased HIV testing and linkage-to-care (prevention or treatment) among sexually active MSM who are
unaware of their HIV status (never tested or tested >6 months ago) and are recruited online. We will conduct a
12-week, three arm randomized trial comparing CHALO! 2.0 to two control conditions: an attention-matched
SMT-based control (also including a digital coupon for free HIV testing), and a digital coupon only control.
Potential Impact: While global health agencies have called for online interventions to engage populations at
high HIV risk who are not being reached, few effective models exist and none exist in India, which is home to
one of the world’s largest MSM HIV epidemics. This study will address this gap by testing a scalable and
replicable online model to engage individuals at high HIV risk and link them to HIV testing and prevention or
treatment. This proposal is responsive to NIH PA-18-278: Innovations in HIV Testing…to Optimize HIV Care
Continuum Outcomes, and addresses multiple high priority research areas of NIH’s Office of AIDS Research.
The proposed model, if found effective, may also accelerate achieving UNAIDS 90-90-90 care targets.
Status | Active |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 3/1/20 → 1/31/25 |
Funding
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: $525,283.00
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: $477,750.00
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: $598,492.00
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: $592,661.00
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH: $559,532.00
Fingerprint
Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.