NCT03175250

Translation of Basic Research in Cognitive Science to HIV Risk

Action Plans & Memory Consolidation: Reducing HIV Risk in Drug Users

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 343 (actual)
• Sponsor: Claremont Graduate University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

• HIV/AIDS

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Health Education	Videos (AIDSvideos.org) were presented on individually-assigned laptops and covered HIV risk, condom use, safe sex, and infection testing
BEHAVIORAL	Action Plan	Participants selected situations for condom use and screening for HIV and hepatitis on individually-assigned laptops. They linked these situations to preventive behaviors regarding screening and condom use.
BEHAVIORAL	Memory Practice	Participants engaged in several different types of memory practice procedures on assigned laptops. The procedures focused on memory for action plans for screening and condom use.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-10-15
• Primary completion: 2016-03-31
• Completion: 2016-03-31
• First posted: 2017-06-05
• Last updated: 2017-06-05