Universal Basic Income and Structural Racism in the US South

NCT05778578 | Terminated DMC

• 1 other identifier: 274097
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 194
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This Stage 3 efficacy study aims to address the critical need for interventions that increase access to appropriate community-based healthcare services, especially for those who have a history of incarceration and inform health policy by testing an intervention that directly reduces the racial income gap by providing a universal basic income (UBI). UBI is intended to promote and protect Black men's health through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in culturally-based protective factors such as personal agency and social connections. Participants will be split into 2 groups: the control and the intervention. Participants in the intervention group will be provided UBI of $500 per month for 6 months to increase healthcare utilization among chronically-ill, low-income Black men.

Conditions

Health Care Utilization

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Healthcare service utilization

  This will be obtained through dichotomous variables yes/no, measured by self-report) adapted from the National Health Interview Survey, collected retrospectively at 6-month and 12-month follow-up timepoints. We also will use medical chart abstraction to confirm self-reported use of healthcare services.

  1 year

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Increased enrollment in & use of social service and healthcare programs and increased voting

  1 year

• More transportation options/greater social engagement/greater ability to fulfill cultural norms & perceived gender role

  1 year

• Improved social connections/ greater receipt of social support/greater ability to pursue educational & employment opportunities

  1 year

• Greater income/improved self-esteems/reduced stress/affirmed personal agency/improved mental health & more time for health promoting behaviors

  1 year

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

All participants will receive the following: 1) a ClinCard and instructions for completing a weekly financial journal to record participants' spending patterns and social needs during the first 6 months of the study; 2) materials about financial literacy and community-based resources that provide support to low-income individuals; 3) description and instructions for follow-up assessments and check-ins; 4) a copy of signed medical release, consent, and HIPAA forms; 5) respondent-driven sampling referral cards; 6) 3 study referral cards, and 7) information about voter registration services provided through the Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk's Office (https://www.pulaskiclerk.com/voter-registration/). Participants will be provided information about the importance of voting, restoration of voting rights, and the process of voting and sealing records.

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in Arm 2 will receive a monthly UBI stipend of $500 for 6 months. Study staff will explain that UBI payments will continue for 6 months and that the UBI payments will be suspended if an individual is reincarcerated (e.g. the participant will not receive UBI payments to their ClinCard during months of incarceration and will not receive additional months post-release from incarceration). Participants will receive their monthly UBI payment, along with all study-related compensation for completing baseline and follow-up assessments, through a ClinCard, which is a loadable debit card with an ID number unique to the participant. The UBI will be loaded to the participant's ClinCard on the first day of each month.

Behavioral: Universal Basic Income

Interventions

Universal Basic Income BEHAVIORAL

Universal basic income (UBI) is a system that gives everyone a minimum amount of money regularly, regardless of their income or work status.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 45 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: all males assigned male at birth
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• self-report as having received from a medical professional a diagnosis for at least one chronic health condition (if chronic condition is HIV see supplement to this study (NCT NCT06186128));
• be at least 45 years old;
• be within 6 months of release from a correctional setting in Arkansas at the time of enrollment (only for those participants with a history of incarceration which will comprise half of the sample population for Aim 2);
• be able to understand and speak English and to provide written and verbal informed consent;
• plan to remain in the central Arkansas area for the duration of the study period;
• be willing and able to provide bi-weekly information about all activities related to seeking employment and to share financial and income-related information with the study team;
• self-identify as Black or African American;
• have been assigned the male gender at birth;
• be willing to provide medical releases to allow project staff to access healthcare records;
• not be currently engaged in healthcare services (defined as not having attended a primary or specialty medical care visit in the past 12 months (excluding any visits to the emergency department or rooms or urgent care clinics in the last 12 months); and
• have a median annual income up to 400% of the federal poverty threshold (the federal poverty threshold is defined as an annual income of less than $12,760 for single adults or $17,240 if a married couple files jointly) in the 12-month period prior to study enrollment or prior to their most current episode of incarceration.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Arkansas: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Little Rock, Arkansas, 72204, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Patient Acceptance of Health Care

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Ashley E Williams, MHS

  University of Arkansas

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 27, 2023
• First Posted: March 21, 2023
• Study Start: September 28, 2023
• Primary Completion: March 13, 2025
• Study Completion: March 13, 2025
• Last Updated: October 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Locations

US (1)