SEARCH SAPPHIRE Phase A: A Multisectoral Strategy to Address Persistent Drivers of the HIV Epidemic in East Africa (SAPPHIRE PhA)

A Multisectoral Strategy to Address Persistent Drivers of the HIV Epidemic in East Africa

The randomized trials in this record will assess effectiveness, fidelity and cost of prevention and treatment interventions for HIV and hypertension with the objective of informing a population-based study of multi-sectored, multi-disease interventions for HIV.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Alcohol Drinking; Hypertension; HIV; Cost Effectiveness; Maternal Child Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: PrEP/PEP at Outpatient Clinics; Other: Standard of Care; Other: PrEP/PEP at Antenatal Clinics; Other: PrEP/PEP at Community Households; Other: Mobility Dynamic Treatment Intervention; Other: Health Living Intervention for Heavy Alcohol Users; Other: Hypertension Linkage; Other: Hypertension Community

Detailed Description

The study will conduct randomized trials to assess effectiveness, fidelity and cost of prevention and treatment interventions. The study will conduct two randomization trials to evaluate dynamic treatment interventions tailored to the needs of heavy alcohol users and mobile populations. The study will conduct three randomized trials to evaluate dynamic choice prevention interventions delivered in the context of antenatal clinics, the outpatient department, and in the community delivered by village health teams. The trial will conduct a randomized trial to evaluate a linkage intervention for patients with hypertension and a randomized trial to evaluate a clinic vs. community based intervention for hypertension.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 2233
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Kenya
  • Kisumu, Kenya
    • GPRT / SEARCH Office
• Uganda
  • Mbarara, Uganda
    • IDRC Southwest Uganda

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

INDIVIDUAL LEVEL INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT INTERVENTIONS

PrEP/PEP at Outpatient Clinics

1. Age ≥15 years
2. HIV-negative
3. Current or anticipated risk for HIV-infection

PrEP/PEP at Antenatal Clinics

1. Age ≥15 years
2. HIV-negative
3. Current or anticipated risk for HIV-infection

PrEP/PEP at Community Households

1. Age > 15 years
2. HIV-negative
3. Current or anticipated risk for HIV-infection

Mobility Dynamic Treatment Intervention

1. Age ≥15 years
2. HIV-positive
3. HIV RNA non-suppression (>400 c/mL in the prior 12 months) or missed 2 visits in past 12 months or missed 2 visits in past 12 months or no VL measured in past 12 months
4. Travel outside the community ≥2 times in past 12 months
5. Enrolled or new to care in a study clinic

Healthy Living Intervention for Heavy Alcohol Users

1. Age ≥18 years
2. HIV-positive
3. HIV RNA non-suppression (>400 c/mL in the prior 12 months) or missed clinic visits (>2 weeks or <=90 days from last scheduled clinic visit) within past 6 months, or out of care without return to care (>90 days from last scheduled clinic visit) within past 6 months
4. Heavy alcohol use per AUDIT-C tool (scores of ≥4 for men, and ≥3 for women)
5. Enrolled or new to care in a study clinic

Hypertension Linkage Intervention

1. Age ≥25 years
2. Blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg on three repeated measurements during community-based hypertension screening
3. Resident (by self-report) within catchment area of referral health center

Community Hypertension Intervention

1. Age >=40
2. Blood pressure ≥160/100 on average of 2nd and 3rd measurements at initial screening
3. Sustained blood pressure elevation to ≥140/90 at initial clinic enrollment visit

INDIVIDUAL LEVEL EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT INTERVENTIONS

PrEP/PEP at Outpatient Clinics

1. <15 years of age
2. Unable to provide consent or parental co-consent as per country guidelines
3. Participation in another Phase A RCT intervention component

PrEP/PEP at Antenatal Clinics

1. <15 years of age
2. unable to provide consent or parental co-consent as per country guidelines
3. Participation in another Phase A RCT intervention component

PrEP/PEP at Community Households

1. <15 years of age
2. unable to provide consent or parental co-consent as per country guidelines
3. Participation in another Phase A RCT intervention component

Mobility Dynamic Treatment intervention

1. <15 years of age
2. Participation in another Phase A RCT intervention component

Healthy Living Intervention for Heavy Alcohol Users

1. <18 years of age
2. Participation in another Phase A RCT intervention component
3. No access to mobile phone

Hypertension Linkage Intervention

1. <25 years of age
2. Plan to out-migrate from the catchment area of referral health center within 30 days of screening visit
3. Already engaged in hypertensive care (by self-report)
4. Blood pressure measure of ≥180/110 mmHg during screening symptoms of hypertensive emergency

Community Hypertension Intervention

1. Pregnancy
2. Co-morbidities that preclude home monitoring

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

14

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: PREP/PEP at Outpatient Clinics Dynamic Prevention Intervention	Other: PrEP/PEP at Outpatient Clinics; Intervention delivered at Outpatient Clinics: Counseling and education on and choice between prevention modalities (e.g. PrEP, PEP, condoms), choice of service location, provision of a clinical officer's or nurse's mobile telephone number for immediate PEP starts any day of the week, routine assessment of barriers to initiation or adherence to PrEP/PEP, including the offer of personalized potential solutions such as choice of in-clinic or offsite service delivery, psychologic supports for traumatic experiences, and offer of concurrent, additional health or prevention related services
Active Comparator: PREP/PEP at Outpatient Clinics Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols
Experimental: PREP/PEP at Antenatal Clinics Dynamic Prevention Intervention	Other: PrEP/PEP at Antenatal Clinics; Intervention delivered at Antenatal Clinics: Counseling and education on and choice between prevention modalities (e.g. PrEP, PEP, condoms), choice of service location, provision of a clinical officer's or nurse's mobile telephone number for immediate PEP starts any day of the week, routine assessment of barriers to initiation or adherence to PrEP/PEP, including the offer of personalized potential solutions such as choice of in-clinic or offsite service delivery, psychologic supports for traumatic experiences, and offer of concurrent, additional health or prevention related services
Active Comparator: PREP/PEP at Antenatal Clinics Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols
Experimental: PREP/PEP at Community Households Dynamic Prevention Intervention	Other: PrEP/PEP at Community Households; Intervention delivered in community by village health team: Counseling and education on and choice between prevention modalities (e.g. PrEP, PEP, condoms), choice of service location, provision of a clinical officer's or nurse's mobile telephone number for immediate PEP starts any day of the week, routine assessment of barriers to initiation or adherence to PrEP/PEP, including the offer of personalized potential solutions such as choice of in-clinic or offsite service delivery, psychologic supports for traumatic experiences, and offer of concurrent, additional health or prevention related services
Active Comparator: PREP/PEP at Community Households Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols
Experimental: Mobility Dynamic Treatment Intervention	Other: Mobility Dynamic Treatment Intervention; 1) Access to a mobility coordinator who will assist with transfers, rescheduling, and out-of-facility refills; 2) Provision of a "travel pack" with alternative ART packaging options (e.g. ziplock bags, envelopes, pill boxes), a packing list and mobility coordinator phone contact for unplanned travel; 3) Screening at every clinic visit for planned mobility; 4) Mobile number and mobile minutes for unexpected travel; 5) Provision of longer refills (up to 6-months) for planned travel
Active Comparator: Mobility Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols
Experimental: Healthy Living for Heavy Alcohol Users Intervention	Other: Health Living Intervention for Heavy Alcohol Users; 1) Two in-person alcohol counseling sessions with support from a clinical psychologist; 2) Monthly booster phone calls
Active Comparator: Heavy Alcohol Users Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols
Experimental: Hypertension Linkage Intervention	Other: Hypertension Linkage; 1) Travel voucher (financial incentive) conditional on linkage to hypertensive care; 2) Phone call reminders for missed visits
Active Comparator: Hypertension Linkage Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols
Experimental: Hypertension Community Intervention	Other: Hypertension Community; Hypertension care delivered at home with clinician telehealth, facilitated by lay health worker to measure blood pressure and deliver medications
Active Comparator: Hypertension Community Control	Other: Standard of Care; Local country standard of care protocols

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevention Coverage Defined as Percentage of Follow-up Months That the Participant Used Either PrEP or PEP	Primary outcome for comparison for PrEP/PEP Dynamic Prevention Intervention at outpatient clinics vs. PrEP/PEP standard of care at outpatient clinics (not applicable to other arms). Primary definition of coverage will rely on self report.	48 weeks
Prevention Coverage Defined as Percentage of Follow-up Months at Risk That the Participant is Protected From HIV Infection With Either PrEP or PEP	Primary outcome for comparison for PrEP/PEP Dynamic Prevention Intervention at antenatal clinics vs. PrEP/PEP standard of care at antenatal clinics (not applicable to other arms). Primary definition of coverage will rely on self report.	48 weeks
Prevention Coverage Defined as Proportion of Follow-up Months at Risk That the Participant is Protected From HIV Infection With Either PrEP or PEP	Primary outcome for comparison for PrEP/PEP Dynamic Prevention Intervention at community households vs. PrEP/PEP standard of care at community households (not applicable to other arms). Primary definition of coverage will rely on self report.	48 weeks
Number of Participants With Viral Suppression Defined by HIV RNA<400 Cps/ml	Primary outcome for comparison of Mobility Dynamic Treatment intervention vs. standard of care control (not applicable to other arms). Data collected from medical records.	48 weeks
Percentage of Participants With Viral Suppression Defined by HIV RNA<400 Cps/ml	Primary outcome for comparison of Healthy Living Intervention for Heavy Alcohol Users vs. standard of care control (not applicable to other arms). Data collected from medical records.	24 weeks
Number of Participants Who Linked to Hypertension Care	Primary outcome for comparison of Hypertension linkage intervention vs. hypertension linkage control (not applicable for other arms). Linkage to hypertension care at the local government clinic within 30 days of screening positive for high blood pressure during community screening. The primary definition will rely on clinical records.	30 days
Percentage of Participants With Hypertension Control <140/90 mmHg	Primary outcome for hypertension community treatment intervention vs. hypertension community treatment control (not applicable for other arms). Blood pressure will be measured three times using standardized procedures in all trial participants at the 24-week study visit. Hypertension is considered controlled if the average of the 2nd and 3rd measures <140 mmHg systolic and <90 mmHg diastolic.	24 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco
• Collaborators: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); University of Pennsylvania; University of California, Berkeley; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); University College, London; Makerere University; Kenya Medical Research Institute; Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Uganda
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Diane Havlir, MD, University of California, San Francisco; Principal Investigator: Moses Kamya, MBChB, PhD, Makerere University; Principal Investigator: Maya Petersen, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Koss CA, Ayieko J, Kabami J, Balzer LB, Kakande E, Sunday H, Nyabuti M, Wafula E, Shade SB, Biira E, Opel F, Atuhaire HN, Okochi H, Ogachi S, Gandhi M, Bacon MC, Bukusi EA, Chamie G, Petersen ML, Kamya MR, Havlir DV; SEARCH study team. Dynamic choice HIV prevention intervention at outpatient departments in rural Kenya and Uganda. AIDS. 2024 Mar 1;38(3):339-349. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000003763. Epub 2023 Oct 19.
• Kabami J, Koss CA, Sunday H, Biira E, Nyabuti M, Balzer LB, Gupta S, Chamie G, Ayieko J, Kakande E, Bacon MC, Havlir D, Kamya MR, Petersen M; SEARCH Study Team. Randomized Trial of Dynamic Choice HIV Prevention at Antenatal and Postnatal Care Clinics in Rural Uganda and Kenya. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2024 Apr 15;95(5):447-455. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000003383. Epub 2024 Mar 11.
• Kakande ER, Ayieko J, Sunday H, Biira E, Nyabuti M, Agengo G, Kabami J, Aoko C, Atuhaire HN, Sang N, Owaranganise A, Litunya J, Mugoma EW, Chamie G, Peng J, Schrom J, Bacon MC, Kamya MR, Havlir DV, Petersen ML, Balzer LB; SEARCH Study Team. A community-based dynamic choice model for HIV prevention improves PrEP and PEP coverage in rural Uganda and Kenya: a cluster randomized trial. J Int AIDS Soc. 2023 Dec;26(12):e26195. doi: 10.1002/jia2.26195.
• Ayieko J, Balzer LB, Inviolata C, Kakande E, Opel F, Wafula EM, Kabami J, Owaraganise A, Mwangwa F, Nakato H, Bukusi EA, Camlin CS, Charlebois ED, Bacon MC, Petersen ML, Kamya MR, Havlir DV, Chamie G; SEARCH Study Team. Randomized Trial of a "Dynamic Choice" Patient-Centered Care Intervention for Mobile Persons With HIV in East Africa. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2024 Jan 1;95(1):74-81. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000003311. Epub 2023 Dec 1.
• Puryear SB, Mwangwa F, Opel F, Chamie G, Balzer LB, Kabami J, Ayieko J, Owaraganise A, Kakande E, Agengo G, Bukusi E, Kabageni S, Omoding D, Bacon M, Schrom J, Woolf-King S, Petersen ML, Havlir DV, Kamya M, Hahn JA. Effect of a brief alcohol counselling intervention on HIV viral suppression and alcohol use among persons with HIV and unhealthy alcohol use in Uganda and Kenya: a randomized controlled trial. J Int AIDS Soc. 2023 Dec;26(12):e26187. doi: 10.1002/jia2.26187.
• Hickey MD, Owaraganise A, Sang N, Opel FJ, Mugoma EW, Ayieko J, Kabami J, Chamie G, Kakande E, Petersen ML, Balzer LB, Kamya MR, Havlir DV. Effect of a one-time financial incentive on linkage to chronic hypertension care in Kenya and Uganda: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2022 Nov 7;17(11):e0277312. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277312. eCollection 2022.

Helpful Links

• SEARCH

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 15, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 16, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): October 16, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 18, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 23, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: PrEP; PEP; HIV Treatment and Prevention; Community Health; Youth and Adolescents; Mobile Populations
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Drinking Behavior; Alcohol Drinking
• Other Study ID Numbers: SEARCH SAPPHIRE Phase A; U01AI150510 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No