Project dates: March 2026 - February 2028
Co-Investigator: Cleland, Charles
Co-Investigator: Cluesman, Sabrina
This study addresses a serious and persistent public health problem, namely, the low rates of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among those at highest risk for HIV: Black and Latine sexual and gender minority persons (“BL-SGM”) ages 18–35 years.
To develop the interventions, the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) framework will be used to test individual intervention components, which are then combined into efficient, effective, and scalable multi-component interventions. Behavioral interventions to support PrEP use exist but none have been optimized using MOST for this population, and thus overall, they are inefficient and also not culturally/structurally targeted.
The study comprises the first phase of MOST and will take a human-centered design approach to select and refine candidate intervention components using the discover, design-build, and pre-test framework, and attend to implementation issues.
The specific aims are to:
- Identify and refine candidate intervention components to increase PrEP uptake and persistence among BL-SGM. This will be accomplished by conduct a scoping review, interviewing BL-SGM, and forming an intervention working group comprised of community members, researchers, and experts to identify promising components, and then design, build and pre-test them;
- Using mixed methods, evaluate the candidate intervention components’ acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evidence of efficacy with respect to PrEP uptake in a pilot optimization phase; PrEP persistence will also be assessed.