Social Network Intervention to Engage Community PLH to Engage in HIV Medical Care

NCT03157258 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: PRO28750
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 341
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

People living with HIV infection (PLH) are clustered in friendship groups with other HIV+ persons, and an intervention delivered to all members of PLH social networks allows HIV+ people who are friends in day-to-day life to provide one another with support for entering, remaining, and adhering to HIV medical care. Moreover, an intervention delivered to groups attended by HIV+ persons who are friends increases HIV medical care engagement and decreases problem drinking more than individual counseling, probably because the network intervention harnessed mutual peer social support among friends who share the same HIV status, face similar coping issues, and interact together in day-to-day life. The planned research will be conducted in two phases in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Conditions

HIV/AIDS; Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• HIV viral load values

  Change in HIV viral load values at baseline will be compared with HIV viral load values determined at 6 months post-intervention and 12 months post-intervention.

  0 months; 6 months; 12 months

• HIV medical care visits

  Change in the number of self-reported HIV medical care visits during the prior six months, comparing the number of visits reported at baseline to the number reported at six and twelve months at post-intervention followup assessments.

  0 months; 6 months; 12 months

• Antiretroviral medication adherence

  Change in medication adherence during the past 30 days (as measured by the visual analogue scale; J.C. Walsh, et al, 2002), comparing the adherence percentage reported at baseline to the adherence percentage reported at the six and twelve month postintervention followup assessments.

  0 months; 6 months; 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Social Network Endorsement

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants in this arm will receive two intervention elements: (1) they will receive a brief single care-related counseling session and referral to HIV medical care upon enrollment; and (2) all members of the HIV+ social networks will attend a multi-session group intervention during which they will be trained to deliver messages endorsing compliance with medical guidelines and adherence to medical treatment regimens to friends. Additionally, these leaders will be trained how to deliver effective messages.

Behavioral: Social Network Training

HIV Counseling and Referral to Care

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

All study participants will receive a brief single care-related counseling session and referral to HIV medical care at baseline.

Behavioral: Single Care-Related Counseling Session and Referral to Care

Interventions

Social Network Training BEHAVIORAL

Members of HIV+ social networks randomized to this arm will be trained to endorse compliance with medical guidelines and adherence to medical treatment regimens to their friends.

Social Network Endorsement

Single Care-Related Counseling Session and Referral to Care BEHAVIORAL

Members of HIV+ social networks randomized to this arm will attend a single, brief care-related counseling session and referral to care at baseline.

HIV Counseling and Referral to Care

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 or older;
• Self-report as being HIV-positive, with positive HIV status confirmed in study-provided testing;
• Except for initial seeds, must be named by an already-enrolled participant as a PLH friend; and
• Do not plan to move from the St. Petersburg, Russia, area for the next 18 months.

You may not qualify if:

• Age 17 or younger;
• Self-report as HIV-negative or HIV-positive serostatus is not confirmed by testing;
• Not be named as a PLH friend by an already-enrolled participant; and
• Intend to move from the St. Petersburg, Russia, area during the next 18 months.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• St. Petersburg State Pavlov Medical University: collaborator
• Medical College of Wisconsin: lead

Study Sites (1)

Medical College of Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

HIV Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Infections; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Lentivirus Infections; Retroviridae Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Slow Virus Diseases; Genital Diseases; Urogenital Diseases; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Immune System Diseases

Study Officials

• Yuri A. Amirkhanian, PhD

  Medical College of Wisconsin

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Jeffrey A. Kelly, PhD

  Medical College of Wisconsin

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 9, 2017
• First Posted: May 17, 2017
• Study Start: June 8, 2017
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2022
• Study Completion: June 30, 2022
• Last Updated: January 14, 2026

Record last verified: 2023-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)