Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of PrEPwise Intervention on PrEP Initiation Among Black Women in Eastern Virginia
Boston University
Summary
HIV is a virus that affects many people, but Black women in the U.S. are a population at a much higher risk of getting it compared to white women-about 18 times higher. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medicine if taken as recommended by a clinician can prevent HIV almost completely (99% effective). The problem is that many Black women, especially those living in the Southern U.S., don't know about this medicine called PrEP or find it hard to access it. To address this, healthcare providers sometimes use "decision aids" which are tools, like brochures or videos, designed to help people understand their medical options and make informed choices based on what's important to them. While these tools have worked well for other health issues, they haven't been widely used for preventing HIV. The challenges are doctors do not have enough time to explain PrEP fully to patients during clinic visits and also some Black women do not trust the healthcare system because of a long history of unfair treatment toward Black communities. Community health workers (CHWs) are trained health workers from the same communities as their patients and can facilitate their ability to provide culturally appropriate health education and information consistent with patients' values and needs. Because of this, patients are often more comfortable talking to them. This project aims to test the acceptability and effectiveness of a decision tool to be integrated into HIV testing services to help Black women decide if PrEP is right for them. The investigators are calling this intervention PrEPwise. A tool originally designed for women dealing with opioid addiction will be adapted to fit the needs of Black women living in the South. The long-term goal of this project is to make it easier for Black women to learn about PrEP and decide whether to use it, ultimately helping lower the number of new HIV cases in Black women.
Description
The study will follow a type-1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid design as a single-site, single-blinded randomized controlled trial. The following procedures detail the study conduct and masking approach: Baseline Visit: * Informed consent process * Collection of demographic information * Administration of baseline survey assessing: Perceived HIV risk, PrEP knowledge, PrEP attitudes, PrEP stigma, Discrimination/racism experiences, PrEP norms, Decisional conflict, and Self-efficacy Randomization and Intervention Delivery: * Random assignment will be conducted at the individual level with…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Black women seeking HIV testing services at the community HIV testing clinic * Eligible for PrEP according to CDC guidelines * Willing to be followed for 3 months * Able to provide contact information * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Participated in the development of the intervention (provided input in the adaptation of PrEP decision aid) * Unable to provide informed consent * Unable to provide contact information * Currently using PrEP
Interventions
- BehavioralPrEPwise
PrEPwise intervention is a tablet-based PrEP decision aid delivered by community health workers (CHW) to Black women in the context of their regular HIV testing visits. The intervention includes: Tailored PrEP decision aid providing information on HIV risks, PrEP choices, PrEP costs, how to use PrEP, Adherence guidance, side effects, and access points for obtaining PrEP.
- OtherUsual care
Usual care includes providing general HIV prevention information, basic PrEP information, and information about other available clinic services.
Location
- LGBT Life Center (5360 Robin Hood Road, Norfolk, VA 23513Norfolk, Virginia