NCT02938533

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

Pilot Study of a Multi-Pronged Intervention Using Social Norms and Priming to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Retention in Care Among Adults Living With HIV in Tanzania

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 438 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, Berkeley · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

• HIV Infection
• Adherence

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Intervention	The intervention includes a clinic-based component and a take-home component. All components include the priming image of a Baobab tree. The clinic-based component is an interactive poster that rewarded appointment attendance. Patients who attend three consecutive on-time visits are congratulated and given a colored sticker to place on a poster that is publicly displayed at the clinic. In one clinic, the take-home component is a 2015 calendar in Kiswahili that contained the priming Baobab image. In the other clinic, the take-home component is a small plastic pillbox featuring the Baobab logo.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-08-01
• Primary completion: 2016-05-01
• Completion: 2016-07-01
• First posted: 2016-10-19
• Last updated: 2017-10-30

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Tanzania