Financial Incentives to Promote Stimulant Abstinence in a Community-Based Syringe Exchange Program

NCT05787847 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: UVermont - FI for StimUD
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 27
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized control pilot study is to learn about a financial incentives intervention among individuals who use stimulants and take part in a community-based syringe exchange program. The main question it aims to answer is how financial incentives for not using stimulants will impact stimulant use. Participants in the experimental group will have the opportunity to earn financial incentives for providing a negative urine sample for stimulants using a point-of-care test, which indicates abstinence from stimulant use, along with health education on the health risks of stimulant use and substance injection. Researchers will compare the experimental group to the control group who will receive health education on the health risks of stimulants use and injection.

Conditions

Stimulant Use

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Stimulant Free Urine Sample

  all samples will be assessed using point-of-care test urine drug test conducted at the center

  12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Health Education

OTHER

Behavioral: Health Education

Health Education plus Incentives for Abstinence

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Incentives for Abstinence; Behavioral: Health Education

Interventions

Incentives for Abstinence BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the incentives for abstinence condition will have the opportunity to earn financial incentives for abstaining from stimulant use.

Health Education plus Incentives for Abstinence

Health Education BEHAVIORAL

The Health Education condition is based on a previous intervention used as a control in a number of other studies. Sessions consist of an educational program addressing a variety of health, wellness, and lifestyle topics adapted from a previously implemented wellness manual.

Health Education; Health Education plus Incentives for Abstinence

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• be 18 years or older
• report using stimulants in the past 30 days
• meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis for stimulant use disorder at a moderate or severe level (i.e., 6 or more of the 11 criteria)
• participation in services at syringe exchange program

You may not qualify if:

• individuals who are cognitively impaired by their drug use or psychiatric conditions that could preclude informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vermont: lead

Study Sites (1)

Howard Center

Burlington, Vermont, 05401, United States

Location

Limitations and Caveats

This project was designed as a pilot study with a small sample size. As such, there are limitations of the statistical power due to the small sample size. Although the originally proposed sample size by condition was not met, the results are able to discern patterns of differences in the primary outcome by study condition.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Richard Rawson
• Organization: University of Vermont

richard.rawson@uvm.edu

‭+1 (310) 951-9091‬

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 15, 2023
• First Posted: March 28, 2023
• Study Start: February 14, 2024
• Primary Completion: July 30, 2024
• Study Completion: July 30, 2024
• Last Updated: September 17, 2025
• Results First Posted: September 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Locations

US (1)