Comparative Effectiveness of Web-based Versus Traditional Adolescent HIV Prevention

Comparative Effectiveness of Web-based vs. Traditional Adolescent HIV Prevention

This study will evaluate the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a customized, interactive web-based HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and hepatitis prevention intervention as compared to a traditional, educator-delivered prevention intervention. Both interventions will be offered to youth enrolled in outpatient, community-based substance abuse treatment at our collaborating treatment facilities. Outcomes to be measured include accurate HIV/disease prevention knowledge, intentions to engage in safer sex, actual HIV risk behavior, attitudes toward safer sex and self-reported substance use. The web-delivered intervention under evaluation has the potential to deliver evidence-based content at low cost without increasing demands on treatment staff time or training needs.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: HIV Infections; Hepatitis; Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Traditional Prevention; Behavioral: Web-based Prevention

Detailed Description

This trial will examine the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a web-based HIV, hepatitis and STI prevention intervention when offered to youth in outpatient, community-based substance abuse treatment as directly compared to a traditional HIV (and infectious disease) prevention intervention. We will assess the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these interventions by primarily examining changes from pre- to post-intervention in accurate HIV/disease prevention knowledge, intentions to engage in safer sex and HIV risk behavior. Additionally, we will examine the extent to which the interventions impact relevant skills acquisition (e.g., communication skills, negotiation skills and condom use skills), attitudes toward safer sex and self-reported substance use, as well as the acceptability of each intervention. We also plan to evaluate youth at both 1 and 3 month post-intervention to examine the durability of effects (including any differential durability of effects across intervention conditions). The web-delivered prevention intervention to be evaluated in this study has the potential to allow for a complex intervention to be delivered at a low cost, without increasing demands on staff time or training needs, and may thereby expand the reach of evidence-based prevention for youth in substance-abuse treatment.

This study will be conducted at three collaborating, community-based adolescent substance abuse treatment programs all of which are housed within the Daytop Village network of services and are located in New York City: (1) Daytop Village's Brooklyn Outreach Center; (2) Daytop Village's Bronx Outreach Center; and (3) Daytop Village's Queens Outreach Center. We expect to recruit approximately one third of the total number of participants from each site.

A total of up to 160 (no fewer than 120) adolescent participants will be enrolled in this study. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two study conditions in an intent-to-treat design (n=60-80 per group): (1) computer-delivered intervention or (2) traditional (person-delivered intervention). Participants in the traditional prevention intervention condition will complete two sessions (of approx. one hour in duration) across the course of a week, conducted by a trained HIV (and infectious disease) prevention educator; these sessions will typically be conducted in small groups of 2-4 participants but may be offered individually. Participants in the computer-delivered intervention condition will complete an interactive, web-based HIV, hepatitis and STI prevention program instead of the traditional, person-delivered prevention intervention. Youth will be asked to complete a customized plan of approximately 2-4 hours in length using the web-based tool; participants will complete two 60-minute sessions per week until they complete their customized plan. Participants will access this intervention using dedicated computer stations set up at their substance abuse treatment program.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Honoria M. Guarino, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 212-845-4540; Email: guarino@ndri.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Bronx, New York, United States, 10461
      • Recruiting
      • Daytop Village, Bronx Outreach Center
      • Contact: Cassandra Melnikow, MA; Phone Number: 2112 718-518-9007; Email: melnikow@ndri.org
    • Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11217
      • Recruiting
      • Daytop Village, Brooklyn Outreach Center
      • Contact: Elaine Dillingham, B.A.; Phone Number: 2811 718-625-1388; Email: dillingham@ndri.org
    • Jamaica, New York, United States, 11435
      • Recruiting
      • Daytop Village, Queens Outreach Center
      • Contact: Cassandra Melnikow, M.A.; Phone Number: 2252 718-523-4242; Email: melnikow@ndri.org

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 10 years to 16 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled in collaborating adolescent substance abuse treatment program (i.e., Daytop's Brooklyn Outreach Center, Bronx Outreach Center or Queens Outreach Center)
• 12-18 years of age
• Within first 30 days of substance abuse treatment (current treatment episode)
• Not yet received formal HIV prevention intervention during current treatment episode

Exclusion Criteria:

• Plans to move out of the area within the next 5 months
• Insufficient ability to understand and provide informed consent/assent to participate
• Insufficient ability to use English to participate in the consent process, the interventions and/or assessments

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Traditional Prevention; educator-delivered, small-group HIV & disease prevention education	Behavioral: Traditional Prevention; Participants in the traditional prevention intervention condition will complete two sessions (of approx. one hour in duration) across the course of a week, conducted by a trained HIV (and infectious disease) prevention educator; these sessions will typically be conducted in small groups of 2-4 participants but may be offered individually.
Experimental: Web-based Prevention; self-directed, interactive & customized web-based HIV & disease prevention education	Behavioral: Web-based Prevention; Participants in the web-based intervention condition will complete an interactive, web-based HIV, hepatitis and STI prevention program. Youth will be asked to complete a customized plan of approximately 2-4 hours in length using the web-based tool; participants will complete two 60-minute sessions per week until they complete their customized plan. Participants can choose to access this intervention using dedicated computer stations set up at their substance abuse treatment setting or can complete these sessions at their own home via the web.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
HIV/disease prevention knowledge		3 months
behavioral intentions	intentions to engage in safer sex	3 months
HIV risk behavior	sexual risk behavior	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
skills acquisition	communication skills; negotiaion skills & condom use skills	3 months
self-reported substance use	as measured via Timeline Follow-back	3 months
intervention acceptability		post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Lisa A. Marsch, Ph.D., National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.; Study Director: Honoria M. Guarino, Ph.D., National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Marsch LA, Guarino H, Grabinski MJ, Syckes C, Dillingham ET, Xie H, Crosier BS. Comparative Effectiveness of Web-Based vs. Educator-Delivered HIV Prevention for Adolescent Substance Users: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2015 Dec;59:30-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2015.07.003. Epub 2015 Jul 15.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 9, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): June 11, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): July 20, 2011
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 19, 2011
• Last Verified: July 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: HIV prevention; comparative effectiveness research; web-based interventions; adolescent HIV prevention; adolescent substance abuse treatment; hepatitis prevention; STI prevention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Disease Attributes; Liver Diseases; Infections; Communicable Diseases; Hepatitis; Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: HIVPrev613; 1RC1DA028415 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)