Podcasting HIV Prevention Within African American Communities

Podcasting HIV Prevention Within African American Communities to Decrease New Infection

Given the continued impact of HIV among African Americans, there is still an urgent need to expand prevention efforts and HIV testing in African American communities. Heterosexual individuals may acquire and spread infection directly through heterosexual contact, bi-sexual sexual contact, and/or indirectly through homosexual sexual contact. Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have been shown to increase consistent condom use, decrease sexual partners, and increase HIV testing; however, traditionally-implemented EBIs may not be accessible to communities given the resources and expertise needed to implement them. This project seeks to: 1) assess feasibility for the development of two theory- based, video podcast-delivered, HIV prevention interventions for self-identified heterosexual African American males and females; and 2) evaluate their feasibility & effectiveness (pilot). The investigators will develop the two (male and female) video podcasts that maintain the theoretical integrity of two established Centers for Disease Control evidence-based behavioral HIV prevention interventions. The assessment phase will consist of leveraging African American community stakeholders and experts in the development of the podcast content. The effectiveness phase will consist of broadcasting the podcasts for participants and evaluating psychosocial factors related to HIV prevention at 1 and 3 month follow-ups. This intervention is the first of its kind and has the potential to increase HIV protective behaviors in this hard-to-reach and medically underserved population. The resulting interventions are expected to be easily disseminated throughout the African American communities, with the potential to reduce HIV- related disparities within this population. This study will impact and advance the field by demonstrating feasibility and effectiveness for a novel mode of intervention engagement within HIV prevention science, serve as valuable preliminary data for a larger R01 trial, and foster HIV prevention awareness within the African American community.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: HIV Prevention
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: HIV Podcast for Heterosexual African American Adults

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 128
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77051
      • Jacob's Home for Men

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• self-identify as African American
• speak and read English
• 18 years old or older
• not currently or previously diagnosed with HIV

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently or previously diagnosed with HIV

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: African American Heterosexuals

Behavioral: HIV Podcast for Heterosexual African American Adults; The video podcast will deliver HIV prevention messages using entertainment education and behavioral journalism, and film production techniques such as "talking head" video, interview, animations, & live-action skits. The research team will work closely with the production company in scripting the video vignettes and sequences, ensuring that video content reflects salient domains captured in the concept mapping research development phase of the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Condom Use Self-Efficacy (From Baseline to 1 Month Follow-up)	A change between baseline and 1 month regarding condom use self-efficacy scale scores. Results reflect mean difference and mean standard deviation in a repeated measures t-test analysis. The 5-item subscale scores were summed and averaged across participants, yielding an average scale score range of 1-5; higher scale values indicating greater self-efficacy to use condoms. Scale scores were assessed for participants immediately before the intervention and 1 month after the intervention. The method used was repeated measures t-test. The analysis reports the group average scale score and standard deviation for participants at 1 month followup.	To be measured immediately before film viewing (baseline) and at 1 month follow-up
Number of Participants With Who Have Obtained a HIV Test at 1 Month After Film Viewing	To observe whether the film viewing influenced behavior of obtaining a HIV test at 1 month followup. Outcome was measured with a single item: "Have you obtained an HIV test (-you will not be required to disclose the results of this test)?" Item was scaled on a nominal scale of measurement as (0) No, (1) Maybe, and (2) Yes. A count of "Yes" (converted to percentage) was used as the primary outcome.	To be measured 1 month after film viewing
Number of Participants With Who Have Obtained a HIV Test at 3 Months After Film Viewing	To observe whether the film viewing influenced behavior of obtaining a HIV test at 3 month followup. Outcome was measured with a single item: "Have you obtained an HIV test (-you will not be required to disclose the results of this test)?" Item was scaled on a nominal scale of measurement as (0) No, (1) Maybe, and (2) Yes. A count of "Yes" (converted to percentage) was used as the primary outcome.	To be measured 3 months after film viewing
Condom Use Intention Item (1 Month Followup)	Uses the condom use intention item (average) of the measure. "I plan to use condoms the next time I have sex." Item was scaled from 1-strongly disagree to 5-strongly agree. Higher scale scores indicate greater intention to use a condom during intercourse; Lower scale scores indicate lesser intention to use a condom during intercourse.The item was summed across participants, separately for baseline and 1 month followup to yield a pretest group mean average (baseline) and a 1 month followup group mean average. The method used was repeated measures t-test, which tested group mean differences between baseline (pretest average) and 1 month followup average. The analysis reports the group average scale score and standard deviation for participants at 1 month followup.	To be measured 1 month after film viewing
HIV Test Intentions (Single Item)	Uses a single item "I intend to obtain an HIV test within the next 2 months?" Item was scaled from 1-strongly disagree to 5-strongly agree. Higher scale scores indicate greater intention to acquire an HIV test; Lower scale scores indicate less intention to acquire an HIV test.The item scores were summed across participants, separately for baseline and 1 month followup to yield a pretest group mean average (baseline) and a 1 month followup group mean average. The method used was repeated measures t-test, which tested group mean differences between baseline (pretest average) and 1 month followup average. The analysis reports the group average scale score and standard deviation for participants at 1 month followup.	1 month after film viewing

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Houston

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 11, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 31, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): October 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 9, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): October 6, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: HIV Prevention; African Americans; Health Disparities
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Lentivirus Infections; Retroviridae Infections; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Immune System Diseases; Slow Virus Diseases; HIV Infections; Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00003312

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Because this is a feasibility study with a low sample size, the data is preliminary and it is not certain that the data will be appropriate or useful for public dissemination.

Drug and device information, study documents

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