Translation of Basic Research in Cognitive Science to HIV Risk

Claremont Graduate University

Status: Completed

Conditions: HIV/AIDS

Treatments: Behavioral: Health Education; Behavioral: Memory Practice; Behavioral: Action Plan

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03175250

1R01DA033871 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

A randomized trial was conducted at drug diversion educational programs with a sample of 343 adult drug offenders who volunteered for the study. The trial tested three different interventions on HIV testing and condom use, with a 3 month follow-up. The study translated consistent basic research showing strong effects of memory practice on memory for new material. One of the conditions involved extensive memory practice of action plans involving HIV testing and condom use. Other conditions varied two active control interventions. Results showed that the memory practice condition led to a substantially larger odds of HIV testing than did the two control conditions. Condom use was also significantly more frequent in the memory practice condition than in one of the control conditions but was not significantly different from the second control condition.

Full description

This study translated basic research from several areas of cognitive science to a new intervention procedure designed to reduce HIV risk and increase screening for HIV and other infections. A randomized trial was conducted (N = 343) to test effects on testing for infection (HIV and hepatitis B/C) and condom use frequency in a sample of drug offenders at risk for infection. Many populations of drug offenders are not currently receiving evidence-based prevention for HIV or hepatitis and are in need of effective interventions that can be used in existing drug programs. At three-month follow-up, the results revealed that the condition translating basic research on memory practice and integrative processing significantly increased the odds of infection testing as compared to two alternative conditions. This condition also significantly improved the extent of condom use, compared to a traditional health education condition. The results show promise for increased translation of basic research on memory to behavioral interventions on health and prevention science. Such procedures can be effectively applied in a complex field setting in existing drug diversion programs.

Enrollment: 343 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Enrolled in drug diversion education program
• Minimum age 18
• Understand English

Exclusion criteria

• Under 18
• Do not understand English
• Obviously intoxicated

Trial design

Primary purpose: Screening

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Quadruple Blind

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343 participants in 3 patient groups

Health Education

Active Comparator group

Description:

This condition included live health education followed by health education videos on HIV risks, testing, and condom use. The videos were presented over laptop.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Health Education

Action Plan

Active Comparator group

Description:

This condition included live health education followed by computerized procedures focusing on action plans for HIV testing and condom use and some of the same health education videos in the Health Education condition.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Action Plan

Memory Practice

Experimental group

Description:

This condition included live health education followed by computerized action plan procedures (as in the Action Plan condition), followed by several memory practice procedures also delivered over laptop. The memory practice procedures were designed to help participants more readily retrieve and use action plans in critical situations.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Memory Practice