Reality Check: An HIV Risk Reduction Serial Drama

NCT03352219 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 822007R34MH094207
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 203
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

African Americans have considerably higher rates of HIV infections than do White, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment. Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Similarly, a radio soap opera called "Twende na Wakati" became the most popular television show in Tanzania and was highly successful in reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom use. A narrative video intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S. cities found a significant reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during months when the video was shown compared with patients visiting during months when it was not shown. Although these studies show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for behavior change, none of them evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online entertainment-education intervention specifically designed for African American youth. To address this gap in the literature, this study tested the preliminary efficacy of an innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama intervention, Reality Check, specifically tailored to young African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial, allocating African Americans 18 to 24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control intervention promoting physical activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of videos streamed online and accessible via any Internet-capable device. Participants completed surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce condomless sex during the 3-month post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting for baseline of the criterion.

Conditions

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus); Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Keywords

Human immunodeficiency virus; Sexually transmitted disease; African Americans; Young adults; Behavioral intervention; Entertainment-Education; Serial drama; Sexual behavior; HIV testing; Homophobia; Social cognitive theory

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Frequency of condomless sexual intercourse

  The number of times the participant had sex without using a condom in the past 90 days

  3 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Frequency of condom use

  3 months post-intervention

• Consistent (100%) condom use

  3 months post-intervention

• Frequency of sexual intercourse

  3 months post-intervention

• HIV testing

  3 months post-intervention

• Homophobia

  Immediately post-intervention

Study Arms (2)

Reality Check

EXPERIMENTAL

Received streamed 13-episode HIV risk reduction serial drama, Reality Check, developed based on Social Cognitive Theory integrated with findings from focus groups and community advisory boards. Each character has a behavioral trajectory related to HIV. For example, one character modeled negotiating condom use with his partner when she was against it. Messages in the serial drama showed that the characters had normative support for HIV testing and condom use. One character modeled a mastery experience when she overcame her fear and got tested for HIV. Homophobia is addressed when a mother discovers that her son is gay. Over the course of the episodes, the interweaving storylines play out, with all the characters eventually achieving their positive goals.

Behavioral: Reality Check

Physical Activity Attention Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Received streamed physical activity promotion videos designed to control for Hawthorne effects, including special attention, consisting of a series of 13 videos from YouTube on physical activity and exercise. The videos, selected to be appropriate for African Americans 18 to 24 years of age, were tailored to be gender specific and hence varied between men and women. The videos focused on the importance of physical activity, coping strategies for lack of motivation to engage in physical activity, and other challenges faced in becoming more physically active, provided specific knowledge and skills regarding how to engage in aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises, and model aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises in a variety of settings.

Behavioral: Physical Activity Attention Control

Interventions

Reality Check BEHAVIORAL

Reality Check

Physical Activity Attention Control BEHAVIORAL

Physical Activity Attention Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Self-identified as black or African American, had a Facebook ID, had a smartphone with access to the Internet, and reported having sexual intercourse in the previous 90 days

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Sexual Behavior; Homophobia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

HIV Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Infections; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Lentivirus Infections; Retroviridae Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Slow Virus Diseases; Genital Diseases; Urogenital Diseases; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Immune System Diseases; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Prejudice; Social Behavior; Social Discrimination

Study Officials

• John B Jemmott III, PhD

  University of Pennsylvania

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 17, 2017
• First Posted: November 24, 2017
• Study Start: September 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2017
• Study Completion: March 31, 2017
• Last Updated: November 24, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)