Reducing co-occurring substance use and HIV risk among stimulant-using men at high risk for HIV in the United States of America.

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This K99/R00 research and training plan will catalyze my efforts to acquire the advanced training necessary to develop and test a tailored behavioral intervention addressing the intersection of stimulant use and HIV risk in men at high risk for HIV in the United States of America. During the K99 phase, my training goals consisted of (1) developing advanced competencies in designing tailored evidence-based behavioral interventions;(2) pursuing advanced training in Randomized Control Trial methods necessary to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a tailored behavioral intervention and (3) acquire knowledge in the application of Social Network Analysis methods to assess the effects of a tailored behavioral intervention on participant's social network composition. Men at high risk for HIV are disproportionately affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The K99/R00 proposal will focus on this underserved population of stimulant-using men who are in desperate need of tailored behavioral interventions to mitigate co-occurring stimulant use and HIV risk in the era of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Developing a behavioral intervention that addresses socio-behavioral factors and personal networks as key determinants of stimulant use and HIV risk in men at high risk for HIV in the US represents a viable strategy to reduce stimulant use, decrease engagement in condomless sex (CS), and support PrEP uptake in at-risk men in the USA. The following aims guide the R00 phase: (1) Conduct formative research through mixed methods to develop a tailored behavioral intervention targeting co-occurring stimulant use and HIV risk in men at high risk for HIV who are not on PrEP and (2) Conduct a pilot Randomize Control Trial to test the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a tailored behavioral intervention for optimizing PrEP uptake as the primary outcome with 60 stimulant-using men at high risk for HIV. In aim 1, formative qualitative data is going to be collected through in-depth interviews with stimulant-using men at high risk for HIV (n=20) and with PrEP healthcare providers (n=10) to inform the behavioral intervention protocol development. Aim 2 consists of testing the tailored behavioral intervention protocol developed for stimulant-using men at high risk for HIV who are not currently taking PrEP. A parallel-group pilot RCT will test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the tailored behavioral intervention with Contingency Management (CM) for PrEP uptake versus an attention-control condition with CM for PrEP uptake in a sample of 60 stimulant-using men at high risk for HIV who are not taking PrEP, living in the United States of America.