Alcohol and Sex Risk mHealth-Enhanced Brief Intervention for BLMSM

July 22, 2026 updated by: Boston University Charles River Campus

Feasibility of an mHealth + Brief Intervention for Heavy Drinking African American and Latino MSM: A Pilot Study

Randomized controlled pilot trial to test the feasibility and efficacy of a brief intervention with app-based messaging to reduce sexual risk behavior and heavy drinking among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino MSM.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study seeks to develop and provide an initial test of a brief intervention to reduce alcohol use and sex risk behavior among Black and Latino men who have sex with men [BLMSM]. The study seeks to recruit BLMSM who are non-monogamous, not currently on pre-exposure prophylaxis [PrEP], have engaged in condomless anal intercourse over the past 6 months, who have engaged in heavy drinking defined as >14 drinks per week or at least 1 heavy drinking episode (5+ drinks on a single occasion) in the past month. All participants will complete baseline measures about past month behavior and if eligible will be assigned to the intervention condition or an assessment only condition. The intervention consists of a single brief video-conferencing intervention coupled with 4 weeks of mobile-messaging related to individualized goals about alcohol use and sexual behavior. Follow-up assessments are scheduled for 4 weeks after baseline (upon completion of the mobile-messaging component of the intervention) and 2 months after baseline. Primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and mobile-messaging components. Secondary outcomes are changes in frequency of condomless anal intercourse and heavy drinking episodes.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
24

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Tibor P Palfai, PhD
  • Phone Number: 6173539345
  • Email: palfai@Bu.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
        • Boston University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Black/African American or Latino/Hispanic
  • At least one heavy drinking episode in past month
  • At least one episode of condomless anal intercourse with another man in the past 6 months
  • Own a smartphone
  • English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

  • HIV+
  • Currently on PrEP
  • Monogamous/exclusive relationship
  • Past or current treatment for alcohol (past 3 years)
  • Current or past psychiatric treatment (past 3 months)
  • Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia
  • Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test score >5
  • Lifetime diagnosis of substance use disorder
  • ASSIST score of >/=27 for any individual substance

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Brief mHealth Intervention + mobile messaging
The intervention is a brief, motivational video-conferencing intervention followed by four weeks of app-based, interactive mobile messages
Behavioral: Brief mhealth intervention + mobile messaging to reduce sexual risk behavior and heavy drinking
The intervention is a brief, motivational video-conferencing intervention followed by four weeks of app-based, interactive mobile messages to reduce heavy episodic drinking and sexual risk behavior (condomless anal intercourse) among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men
No Intervention: Assessment Only
This is an assessment only condition. No intervention following completion of baseline surveys will be administered.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Modified Daily Drinking Questionnaire - Heavy Drinking Episodes
Time Frame: Past 30 days
Number of heavy drinking episodes NIAAA criteria (5+ drinks)
Past 30 days
Sexual Behavior - Extended Survey - Condomless Anal Intercourse
Time Frame: Past 30 days
Frequency of condomless anal intercourse. This is an open ended question where the Participant reports the frequency of condomless anal intercourse over the past 30 days.
Past 30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Goal Systems Assessment Battery - Alcohol
Time Frame: Past 30 days
Ratings of self-regulatory capacities related to reducing alcohol use. Items are 5-point Likert scale. There are 4 subscales utilized including planning, monitoring, self-efficacy and value. Higher scores indicates better outcomes.
Past 30 days
Goal Systems Assessment Battery - Condom Use
Time Frame: Past 30 days
Ratings of self-regulatory capacities related to using condoms. Items are 5-point Likert scale. There are 4 subscales utilized including planning, monitoring, self-efficacy and value. Higher scores indicates better outcomes.
Past 30 days
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire
Time Frame: 2 months post-baseline
8-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire answered on a 4-point scale. Mean scale score is 1-4. Higher scores reflect a better outcome.
2 months post-baseline
Intervention Acceptability Ratings
Time Frame: 2 months post-baseline
10-item Acceptability Measure of the overall intervention answered on a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) used to assess the acceptability of the video-conferencing brief intervention and the mobile messages. Mean scale range is 1-5. Higher scores reflect a better outcome.
2 months post-baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Boston University Charles River Campus

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Kathryn E Chavez, MA, Boston University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 4, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 15, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 15, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 23, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 26, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 29, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 22, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 5479E

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

under discussion

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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