NCT05338996

Addressing Health Disparities in Engagement, Retention, and Utilization of PrEP Among South Florida Women of Color

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 72 (actual)
• Sponsor: Florida International University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Women of color (WOC) in South Florida, the region with the highest HIV rates in the U.S., experience significant barriers to accessibility, uptake, and utilization of Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, despite FDA approval since 2012. The purpose of this study is to use a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to finalize, and pilot-test a multi-component evidence-based intervention to reduce health disparities in engagement, utilization, and retention in PrEP care, with the goal of improving HIV prevention outcomes for the target population of WOC in S. Florida, primarily African American, Latina, and Haitian women in 3 designated Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to use a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to finalize, and pilot-test a multi-component evidence-based intervention to reduce health disparities in engagement, utilization, and retention in PrEP care, with the goal of improving HIV prevention outcomes for the target population of WOC in S. Florida. We will conduct an exploratory pilot of the PrEP intervention, using a quasi-experimental design, among 80 multi-ethnic WOC in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity. PrEP uptake, adherence, and retention in care will be measured over a 4-month period, including biomarkers of adherence. Adult women initiating or returning to PrEP services at our collaborating sites will be recruited, consented, enrolled and complete baseline assessments. They will participate in an adapted Integrating ENGagement and Adherence Upon Entry (iENGAGE) intervention to address social determinants of health barriers to maintaining PrEP care.

Conditions

• HIV Prevention
• PrEP Adherence

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	iENGAGE for PrEP	This intervention originally developed for people living with HIV (PLWH), is designed to promote engagement, retention, and adherence to treatment by addressing the social determinants of health that often act as barrier to remaining in care and achieving viral suppression. Based on our experience with this intervention we believe that it is well suited to similarly promote engagement, retention, and utilization of PrEP care among our proposed target population of WOC by a) removing barriers to care and b) addressing unmet needs by providing c) point-to-point linkage to care services delivered by multi-disciplinary teams of individuals within or outside of the health facility, and d) the use of telehealth visits to facilitate engagement in care and improve health visit attendance. The original iENGAGE is a 4-session, in-clinic behavioral intervention.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-10-01
• Primary completion: 2023-05-31
• Completion: 2023-05-31
• First posted: 2022-04-21
• Last updated: 2023-06-27

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: United States