Social Network Overdose Prevention and Education Intervention

A Social Diffusion Fatal Overdose Prevention Intervention: Assessing the Effectiveness of People Who Use Opioids as Peer Educators in Training Using & Non-using Networks on Overdose & Stigma Reduction

The purpose of this study is to test a social intervention focused on overdose prevention and care. In the investigators prior work, the investigators have shown that people who use opioids (PWUO) can be effective peer educators (PEs).

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Drug Overdose
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Network overdose prevention; Behavioral: Standard of care health education

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to test a social intervention focused on overdose prevention and care. In the investigators prior work, the investigators have shown that people who use opioids (PWUO) can be effective peer educators (PEs). The investigators have utilized PEs for overdose prevention in interventions that have focused on training network members who use drugs to respond to an overdose. Yet, many overdoses are witnessed by people who do not use drugs. Additionally, many PWUO report using drugs at home and living with someone who does not use drugs, which highlights the importance of training non-using network members on overdose response. Based on pilot data, the investigators propose expanding an overdose peer education intervention to focus on non-using network members. The intervention seeks to prepare network members to respond to an overdose and normalize discussions about overdose prevention planning between index PWUO and non-using network members. The intervention condition consists of 3 individual sessions focused on overdose prevention and response. This condition is designed to train index study participants to be Peer Educators. In addition to the three sessions, the non-drug using network member will be offered one session. The control condition is only 1 session focused on overdose prevention and response. Both intervention and control participants will invite social network members to take part in data collection activities

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 600
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Carl Latkin, PhD; Phone Number: (410)955-3972; Email: carl.latkin@jhu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21205
      • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• self-reported illicit opioid use at least 2 times in the past two weeks;
• age 18 and older;
• living in the Baltimore metropolitan region;
• willing to engage in peer education; and
• having and willing to recruit at least one non-using network member.

Exclusion Criteria:

Participants without the cognitive ability to provide informed consent and have the physical ability to participate in in-person intervention sessions.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental: Peer education and network support; During sessions 1 and 2, participants will be taught information and skills pertaining to overdose prevention and response. During the 3rd session, participants will trained to talk to their non drug using network members in overdose prevention and response.	Behavioral: Network overdose prevention; Participants are taught overdose prevention methods with network members.
Active Comparator: comparison: Standard of care of health education; In one session, participants will receive the standard of care for overdose prevention.	Behavioral: Standard of care health education; Participants will receive the standard of care for overdose prevention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of drug overdoses	Number of drug overdoses in prior three months	3-months
Participant drug use	Proportion of times participants tested positive for drugs of fentanyl and xylazine using test strips in the prior 3 months.	3-months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Network member contacts	Number of network members talked to about overdose prevention in prior 3 months	3-months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Carl Latkin, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 15, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 15, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 16, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 12, 2024
• Last Verified: April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Prescription Drug Misuse; Drug Misuse; Drug Overdose
• Other Study ID Numbers: R01DA058659 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); IRB00026607 (Other Identifier: JHSPH IRB)

Drug and device information, study documents

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