A Social Network Approach for Improving Medication Assisted Treatment and HIV Prevention and Medical Care Among People Who Inject Drugs in Ukraine

NCT05824702 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: R34DA051316IRB00024358
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 241
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to pilot a peer education for people on medication assisted treatment (MAT). People on MAT will be trained to be peer educators and provide outreach to the educators social network members who inject drugs, some of whom will be HIV positive.

Conditions

HIV

Keywords

HIV; Drug Treatment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Number of Participants Enrolled in drug treatment

  Enrollment in drug treatment among social network members living with HIV

  3 months

Study Arms (2)

Experimental: Peer education and network support

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention sessions will consist of 6 group sessions including 1) Introduction to Peer Educator role and peer Communication skills, 2) HIV and drug treatments, 3) using a decision balance tool with network members for drug treatment, 4) Promoting HIV prevention and medical care \& using text messages as peer educators for promoting MAT and HIV prevention and care, 5) Preventing and responding to relapse, and 6) HIV care retention and medication adherence.

Behavioral: Peer education & communications

comparison: Standard of care of health education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The comparison condition will include 5 group sessions focused on: 1) retention in MAT by addressing the myths about MAT; 2) information to MAT clients on finding local MAT and other health services in areas where they migrate; 3) importance of HIV prevention (including PreP) and HIV treatment including adherence to HIV; 4) harm reduction, safe drug use, overdose prevention and first aid in case of overdose; 5) addressing Hepatitis C, chronic conditions and mental health issues by emphasizing the importance of timely addressing these health problems and providing information on available local and national services.

Behavioral: Standard of care educational

Interventions

Peer education & communications BEHAVIORAL

The intervention trains peer educators to promote medication-assisted drug treatment among peer who inject drugs and are living with HIV.

Experimental: Peer education and network support

Standard of care educational BEHAVIORAL

This is an educational equal attention control group

comparison: Standard of care of health education

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• On methadone for at least 1 year and rated by the staff as low risk for relapse
• Report at least 1 drug network member living with HIV, not on methadone, and seen weekly
• Willing to talk with drug users in their network about medication for drug dependence and accompany them to methadone clinic

You may not qualify if:

• Persons that are currently psychotic, suicidal, or cognitively impaired such that they cannot provide informed consent will be excluded from participation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: lead
• Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy: collaborator
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy

Kiev, Kyiv Oblast, 01001, Ukraine

Location

Study Officials

• Carl A Latkin, Ph.D.

  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants are not aware of the other condition
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: A pilot randomized clinical trial of behavioral intervention

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 5, 2023
• First Posted: April 24, 2023
• Study Start: September 20, 2023
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2025
• Study Completion: September 1, 2025
• Last Updated: November 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Locations

UA (1)