Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an important biomedical human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention tool and may particularly benefit black, cis and trans-gender women, who are at an increased risk for HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). The purpose of this study is to use a population-based approach to create a cohort of cis and trans-gender women at risk for future HIV acquisition to better understand the factors associated with the risk of STIs and HIV diagnosis and predictors of PrEP use.
To better understand contextual factors among people who identify as women in Alabama that predict STI/HIV infection and PrEP use, we will refine an existing evidence-based mobile health app (HealthMpowerment or HMP) to optimally engage and retain a digital cohort of women at-risk for HIV infection (i.e. prior infection in the past 3 months with gonorrhea or syphilis). Using a sampling strategy based on geospatial analysis of HIV-risk, we will enroll and follow our cohort longitudinally to assess factors associated with incident STI/HIV infection as well as utilization of PrEP through iterative self-collected STI/HIV testing and survey assessments.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
830
Through the HealthMpowerment (HMP) app tailored for women, we will be able to provide informational content, access to resources, PrEP locators and additional gamification features to optimally engage and retain our cohort, which may support linkage to PrEP care.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Annualized Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
We will calculate incidence of gonorrhea and new positive cases of syphilis.
Time frame: From time of enrollment through study completion at 24 months
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake
We will calculate incidence of PrEP initiation, as reported by participants and confirmed through medical record review or through Dried Blood Spot (DBS) sampling confirmed presence of tenofovir-base PrEP (TFV-dp).
Time frame: From time of enrollment through study completion at 24 months
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