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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02938533

Social Norms and Priming to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Retention in Care

Interventions incorporating constructs from behavioral economics and psychology have the potential to enhance HIV 'treatment as prevention' (TasP) strategies. To test this hypothesis, the investigators evaluated a combination intervention to improve antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence based on the concepts of social norms and priming.

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Key information

Conditions

HIV Infection Adherence Blood-Borne Infections Communicable Diseases Genital Diseases HIV Infections Immune System Diseases Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes Infections Lentivirus Infections RNA Virus Infections Retroviridae Infections Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral Urogenital Diseases Virus Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Bugsi Dispensary, Kahama, Shinyanga, Tanzania

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About this study

The investigators conducted a quasi-experimental pilot study of a combination behavioral intervention based on the concepts of social norms and priming. The intervention included visual feedback about clinic-level retention in care, a self-relevant prime, and useful take-home items with the priming image. The intervention was developed using tools from marketing research and patient-centered design. The hypothesis was that the intervention would improve retention in care and adherence to ART among patients living with HIV infection (PLHIV). The intervention was implemented at two HIV primary clinics in Shinyanga, Tanzania in 2-week intervals for six months. The investigators reviewed medical records of a random sample of exposed and unexposed adult PLHIV to compare retention and the proportion of patients with medication possession ratio (MPR) ≥95% after six months.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • At least 18 years of age
  • Living with HIV infection
  • Receiving HIV primary care at one of the two study clinics

Treatment and study plan

Intervention

Behavioral

The intervention includes a clinic-based component and a take-home component. All components include the priming image of a Baobab tree. The clinic-based component is an interactive poster that rewarded appointment attendance. Patients who attend three consecutive on-time visits are congratulated and given a colored sticker to place on a poster that is publicly displayed at the clinic. In one clinic, the take-home component is a 2015 calendar in Kiswahili that contained the priming Baobab image. In the other clinic, the take-home component is a small plastic pillbox featuring the Baobab logo.

Primary outcomes

  1. Retention in care, defined as an attended visit between 150-210 days after the baseline visit

    Time frame: 6 months

    This measure of retention in care accounts for variability in visit scheduling by individual providers and therefore uses a window period of 150-210 days to determine whether the patient was in care at 6 months

  2. >=95% medication possession ratio (MPR)

    Time frame: 6 months

    MPR is a measure of ART adherence that is correlated with viral suppression

Secondary outcomes

  1. The proportion of scheduled visits that were completed during the 6-month observation period

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. Medication possession ratio (MPR), continuous scale

    Time frame: 6 months

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, Berkeley

Other

Collaborators

  • Mexican National Institute of Public Health
  • Ministry of Health, Tanzania

Registry information

Official study title

Pilot Study of a Multi-Pronged Intervention Using Social Norms and Priming to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Retention in Care Among Adults Living With HIV in Tanzania

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Oct 19, 2016
Registry last updated
Oct 30, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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