Mobile-health (mHealth) Intervention to Support HIV Self-testing and PrEP Uptake Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

April 28, 2026 updated by: Steven A John, Medical College of Wisconsin

Optimizing an IMB-guided Intervention to Support HIV Self-testing and PrEP Uptake Among YMSM: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

The proposed study will involve adolescent (17-24 years old) men who have sex with men (described as YMSM hereafter) who meet eligibility criteria to participate. Prospective study candidates will receive a copy of the IRB-approved informed consent forms and, if they choose to participate, will provide consent before enrollment into this study. Involvement of human subjects is detailed in the Research Strategy portion of this proposal, Recruitment and Retention Plan, and Protection of Human Subjects sections. Briefly, investigators will develop and pilot a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to support HIV self-testing (HIVST) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake. Intervention content will be focused on constructs of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model. To reduce cost and increase feasibility, investigators plan to incorporate previously developed content as much as possible-investigators see integration of this content as a major strength. Investigators will include content about HIV testing and PrEP and other resources including the geo-targeted directories to find clinic settings that offer HIV testing and PrEP, all of which are publicly available. Investigators believe our approach of guiding YMSM through intervention modules based on theory will help improve content retention/use and ultimately influence constructs posited to result in behavior change. Investigators foresee using multiple forms of attention-matched material, media, and programming to engage (and retain engagement) of YMSM throughout the intervention. Intervention content was developed on feedback from focus groups, survey results, youth advisory board feedback, and usability testing. Primary endpoints of this study include HIVST and PrEP uptake, including stage of change towards HIVST and PrEP uptake. Secondary outcomes include changes in IMB model indicators (e.g., HIV prevention knowledge).

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

The research activity designated as a clinical trial is our pilot RCT where investigators will then enroll 120 YMSM and randomly assign individuals to one of two experimental groups: (1) information-only (I), and (2) information + motivation + behavioral skills (IMB). Randomization will be blinded using Qualtrics, and randomization will occur in a ratio of 1:1 between the two groups. Individuals assigned to group 1 will receive attention-matched information-only content about HIVST and PrEP related information. Intervention content will be based upon the formative research. After completion of the baseline survey, randomization, and intervention, participants will be followed for a period of three months. Individuals will be surveyed at 1- and 3-months post intervention to assess our primary endpoints of HIVST and PrEP uptake. Preliminary impact will be assessed using within- and between-subjects analyses. First, investigators will test the performance of randomization by chi-squared comparisons and ANOVAs for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Second, investigators will test for differential attrition by treatment group at 1- and 3-month follow-up assessments. Third, investigators will assess post-intervention HIV testing and PrEP uptake using factorial logistic regressions to determine between-group differences, adjusting for any breakdowns in randomization or differential attrition. Fourth, investigators will test for changes in stage of change indicators by randomized group, time, and group*time interaction, with similar adjustment procedures, using GEE; this analysis will help us determine a trend towards HIVST or PrEP uptake were investigators to extend the length of follow-up. Power: Our study has 80% power to detect a ½ stage average difference (d = 0.68; α = 0.05) on the PrEP cascade comparing the three experimental groups combined to the information-only control assuming 80% retention. As the purpose of this study is to pilot the RCT, investigators have not powered this study to determine differences between the experimental group compared to the control group (which is planned for the full RCT in a future R01). Finally, investigators will conduct within-subjects tests comparing baseline and follow-up IMB construct scale scores stratified by group as an evaluation of internal validity (i.e., did the interventions have an effect on the targeted constructs?).

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.
118

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.
  • Name: Steven A John, MPH, PhD
  • Phone Number: 414-955-7700
  • Email: sjohn@mcw.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Wisconsin
      • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53226
        • Medical College of Wisconsin

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

17 years to 24 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. 17-24 years old;
  2. Individuals who self-identify as male (including transgender men) and report any male sexual partners in the past 6 months;
  3. Resident of the US based on home address;
  4. HIV-negative or unknown status based on self-report; and

  5. Self-reported risk for HIV (based on CDC criteria for PrEP use) defined as reporting any of the following in the past six months:

    1. Bacterial STI
    2. Condomless anal sex (CAS) with a casual male sexual partner
    3. CAS with an HIV-positive or unknown status main partner
    4. CAS with an HIV-negative main partner who reports CAS with other male partners.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Current PrEP use;
  2. Unstable, serious psychiatric symptoms;
  3. Currently suicidal/homicidal; and
  4. Evidence of gross cognitive impairment.

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: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Double

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: IMB
Individuals randomized to this arm will receive a behavioral intervention based on the Information-Motivation-Behavior (IMB) model designed to increase HIV self-testing, among other protective behaviors.
Behavioral: IMB
Intervention content will be focused on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model. We plan to incorporate previously developed content as much as possible and will include content about HIV testing and PrEP and other resources. We believe our approach of guiding YMSM through intervention modules based on theory will help improve content retention/use and ultimately influence constructs posited to result in behavior change. We foresee using multiple forms of attention-matched material, media, and programming to engage (and retain engagement) of YMSM throughout the intervention.
Other: Information-Only Control
Attention-matched comparison condition (information-only)
Behavioral: Information-Only Control
Intervention content will be focused on the information construct of the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model. We plan to incorporate previously developed content as much as possible and will include professionally produced videos about HIV testing and PrEP and other resources. We believe our approach of guiding YMSM through intervention modules based on theory will help improve content retention/use and ultimately influence constructs posited to result in behavior change. We foresee using multiple forms of attention-matched material, media, and programming to engage (and retain engagement) of YMSM throughout the brief single-session intervention (45-60 minutes).

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
Number of Participants With Self-reported Self-administration of HIV Testing
Time Frame: 3 months
Self-reported self-administration of HIV testing within the past 3 months (i.e., since baseline assessment).
3 months
Number of Participants With Self-reported PrEP Uptake
Time Frame: 3 months
Self-reported PrEP uptake
3 months

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.
Medical College of Wisconsin

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: Steven A John, MPH, PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
March 21, 2024

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.
August 31, 2024

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.
August 31, 2024

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).
April 26, 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.
April 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.
April 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.
May 1, 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.
April 28, 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, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • PRO34897

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Datasets will be deposited in the NIMH Data Archive (NDA)

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Approximately available by December 31, 2027 aligned with results publishing; available indefinitely.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be findable for the research community through the NIH Data Archive (NDA) Collection

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

Clinical Trials on Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Clinical Trials on Information-Only Control

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings