A Pilot Peer Mentor Intervention That Trains Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (BMSM) to Use and Promote Uptake of HIV/STI Self-Testing to Peers and Sex Partners: STAR Study (Self-Testing at Your Residence)

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sexually Transmitted Diseases; HIV/AIDS

Treatments: Behavioral: Peer Mentor; Behavioral: Website only

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04121962

IRB00009216 (Other Identifier)

1R34MH118178

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objectives of the study are to assess the feasibility, reach and preliminary efficacy of a brief intervention that trains Black men who have sex with men [referred to as Index] (a) to use home-based testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and (b) promote home-based testing to their peers and sexual partners.

Full description

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase one's risk of HIV infection, are serious co-infections that affect HIV clinical outcomes, and remain a risk for individuals using PrEP. Self-testing methods address barriers to clinic-based testing by offering convenience and privacy and have been shown to be well accepted by MSM. Therefore, use of self-testing is a potential approach through which to improve HIV and STI testing rates in MSM. Internet-based distribution (herein: web-based) of STI self-test kits enables an individual to request sampling kits via a website, mail biological specimens (e.g. urethral swabs) to a laboratory for testing, and view test results through a web-based account. Web-based self-HIV oral testing enables an individual to request a test kit, collect an oral specimen, and receive results within 20 minutes. Despite these potential benefits and reports of willingness to use free self-testing, uptake has been low due to barriers such as concerns about accuracy of the tests, apprehension to collect specimens, low risk perception, and the desire for counseling. In the proposed study, investigators will pilot test an intervention that address these barriers by training BMSM with information about the accuracy of the HIV rapid oral test kit, demonstrating how to properly collect specimens for HIV and STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis) self-testing, and providing resources for linkage to HIV and STI treatment and PrEP services. Study participants will utilize a secure website to request test kits.

Enrollment: 163 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 17 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• self-report male sex
• condomless anal sex with >1 male in the prior 6 months
• self-report Black race
• aged 18 or older
• internet use at least once a week.

Exclusion criteria

• younger than 17

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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163 participants in 2 patient groups

Peer Mentor

Experimental group

Description:

Peer Mentor Training is 5 individual sessions with a 30 day check-in session. This condition is focused on training Index with communication skills to promote HIV and STI testing and treatment and pre-exposure prophalaxis (PrEP) to individuals in their social networks. Peer Mentor training is conducted by a one health educator. The sessions are held once a week and will last approximately 60 minutes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer Mentor

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

Is one individual-based session which will be conducted by sending a video about the website of a health educator.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Website only