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

University of California (UC), Berkeley

Status: Completed

Conditions: HIV Infection; Adherence

Treatments: Behavioral: Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02938533

OPP1118511

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full description

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.

Enrollment: 438 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. At least 18 years of age
2. Living with HIV infection
3. Receiving HIV primary care at one of the two study clinics

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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438 participants in 2 patient groups

Standard of Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Standard HIV primary care services available at HIV care and treatment clinics in Tanzania.

Behavioral Intervention Using Social Norms and Priming

Experimental group

Description:

Patients in this arm may have been exposed to the behavioral intervention, which included the following components: 1) visual feedback about clinic-level retention in care through an interactive poster; 2) a self-relevant priming image that appeared on all components; and 3) a take-home item (i.e., pillbox or calendar) with the priming image.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Intervention