HIV Prevention Intervention for Young Transgender Women (LifeSkills)

January 25, 2021 updated by: Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a uniquely targeted HIV risk reduction intervention for young transgender women (YTW), ages 16 to 29, at risk for HIV acquisition or transmission.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a uniquely targeted HIV risk reduction intervention for young transgender women (YTW), ages 16 to 29, at risk for HIV acquisition or transmission. The study will test this intervention in a three-arm randomized controlled trial in two major U.S. cities with excellent access to and research experience with the population (Chicago, Boston). We will enroll at risk YTW, ages 16-29; two-fifths of the sample randomized to the intervention will participate in the 6-session group-based and manualized Life Skills intervention; two-fifths will be randomized to the standard-of-care (SOC) control condition; and one-fifth will be randomized to the time-matched attention control condition and receive standard health promotion information in a group-based multi-session format. All three arms will receive HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) (Chlamydia and gonorrhea) testing and pre-posttest risk reduction counseling (i.e., SOC). Sexual risk will be assessed at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 months post-randomization. Our specific aims are: 1) to determine the efficacy of the Life Skills intervention in comparison to a SOC arm and a time-matched attention control on the primary outcome: number of unprotected anal and vaginal sex acts in the previous 4 months among YTW, ages 16-29; and 2) to examine the degree to which improvements in sexual risk taking are mediated by the conceptual mediators of the intervention: transgender adaptation and integration, collective self-esteem/empowerment, information (HIV knowledge), motivation (attitudes, norms, and intentions for safer sex), and behavioral skills (discussing sex and condom use with sexual partners, acquiring and using condoms); and to explore whether reductions in sexual risk are associated with epidemiologically-linked moderators of sexual risk behavior: age, race/ethnicity, and psychosocial factors. An additional exploratory aim is to describe the prevalence of HIV and STIs in the community recruited sample; in the SOC arm, we will assess the natural trajectory of sexual risk behavior and the acquisition of HIV and STIs (incidence rate) in YTW over a 12-month follow-up period.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

300

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
        • Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
        • The Fenway Institute

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

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years to 29 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age 16-29
  • self-identified as transgender, transsexual, and/or female with a male biological or birth sex
  • self-reported history of unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse, anal or vaginal sex with more than one sexual partner, anal or vaginal sex in exchange for money, food, shelter, or diagnosis with HIV or another STI in the previous 4 months
  • able to speak and understand English
  • willing and able to provide informed consent/assent
  • intention to reside in the local area throughout the 12 month follow-up period

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unable to provide informed consent due to severe mental or physical illness, or substance intoxication at the time of interview
  • active suicidal ideation at the time of baseline interview

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: HIV group-based prevention intervention
The HIV prevention intervention is a 6-session group-based and manualized intervention. Participants will also receive HIV and STI testing and counseling prior to the start of the intervention.
Behavioral: HIV prevention intervention
The 6-session HIV prevention intervention curriculum, "LifeSkills," incorporates interactive activities, in-depth discussions, videos, games, and role-plays to help young transgender women develop, practice, and integrate new skills into "real-life" situations. Activities address each aspect our theoretical framework (information, motivation, behavior), including experiences that may pre-dispose young transgender women to HIV/STI risk. Participants will also receive HIV and STI testing and counseling prior to the start of the intervention.
Active Comparator: Diet and nutrition
The comparison condition is a 6-session group-based and manualized health promotion intervention. Participants will also receive HIV and STI testing and counseling prior to the start of the intervention.
Behavioral: Diet and Nutrition
The comparison condition is a 6-session group-based and manualized health promotion intervention. Participants will also receive HIV and STI testing and counseling prior to the start of the intervention.
No Intervention: Standard-of-care
This arm will receive HIV and STI testing and counseling only.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in number of unprotected anal and vaginal sex acts in the previous 4 months
Time Frame: Baseline, 4-months post-intervention
Self-reported unprotected anal and vaginal sex acts in the previous 4 months assessed via computer-assisted self-interviewing.
Baseline, 4-months post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Robert Garofalo, MD, Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
  • Principal Investigator: Matthew Mimiaga, ScD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital

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)

March 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 29, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 10, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

April 12, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 27, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 25, 2021

Last Verified

January 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01MH094323 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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