Acceptability and Feasibility of Unsupervised HIV Self-Testing Among Networks of Men (STEP)

University of South Carolina

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2; Phase 1

Conditions: Hiv; HIV Infections; HIV/AIDS

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Self-Testing Education and Promotion

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03891407

Pro00072005

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to recruit and train men to promote HIV self-testing to their network members in their camps and examine the efficacy of a peer-led HIV self-testing intervention on the uptake of HIV testing among men.

Full description

The research is the first evaluation of an unsupervised HIV self-testing strategy in Tanzania focusing on networks of heterosexual men. The reasons for focusing on heterosexual men is because heterosexual contact is the primary mode of HIV transmission in Tanzania and data from our previous trial indicate that 97% of the male camp members are heterosexual. Moreover it will be the first intervention to engage male peer leaders to promote HIV self-testing in their social networks in Tanzania. We will build on previous work our research team has conducted to identify 'camps' or local venues where young men socialize with elected leaders and members pay membership dues. Our previous intervention has proven successful to recruit and train leaders from camps to serve as community health leaders in their respective camps, with the goal of changing social norms related to HIV and gender-based violence. A novel approach to the proposed research is that we will leverage the work we have conducted within camps with social networks of men to test the acceptability and feasibility of oral fluid-based HIV self-testing and confirmatory blood-based HIV testing within existing networks of men that we know we can access through stable social venues. We will recruit male camp leaders to train them about HIV self-testing and instruct them to return to their camps and engage their male peers by informing them about HIV self-testing for prior to our research team offering participants the opportunity to self-test.

Enrollment: 500 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Participant is at least 18 years old
• Has been member of the camp for at least 3 months
• Visits camp at least once a week
• Intends to live in Dar es Salaam for next 6 months
• Has not had suicidal thoughts in the past
• Willing to give contact information of self and relative or friend

Exclusion criteria

• Does not meet all inclusion criteria
• Unable to participate due to psychological disturbance, cognitive impairment or threatening behavior

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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500 participants in 2 patient groups

HIV Self-testing Group

Experimental group

Description:

Camp members will receive information about HIV self-testing from peer educators who will be nominated by you and other camp members in your camp. Camp members in the STEP project will receive pretest counseling and a 10 minute demonstration. They will receive 1 oral fluid HIV self-test kit to conduct the self-test at home or in a private location during the next 1 month and a phone number to call in case you need assistance when performing the self-test at home. They will also receive information about the nearest HIV Care and Treatment Center where they can seek a confirmatory HIV test and start HIV treatment in the event of a positive self-test result.

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Self-Testing Education and Promotion

Non-intervention Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Camp members will be encouraged to seek HIV testing at the clinics.