PNF RCT to Decrease Alcohol Use and Increase HIV Prevention

July 22, 2026 updated by: Jessica Perkins, Vanderbilt University

Personalized Normative Feedback to Decrease Unhealthy Alcohol Use and Increase HIV Prevention Behavior Among Youth and Young Adults in Rural Ugandan Schools

Randomized controlled trial to test the preliminary efficacy and mediating mechanism of a personalized normative feedback intervention on behavioral intentions, heavy alcohol use, and HIV/STI prevention among adolescents and young adults in Rwampara District, Uganda.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

New approaches to HIV prevention and treatment among young people in HIV-endemic African countries will be needed to meet the 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets. Several HIV/STI transmission-related behaviors are more likely to occur with heavy alcohol use including engaging in condomless sex, partner concurrency, and transactional sex. Heavy alcohol use is a prevalent and strong modifiable risk factor for HIV transmission risk behavior in Uganda. One way to target behaviors related to HIV/STI-transmission, alcohol misuse, and their intersection is to target misperceived norms, which are directly linked to personal health behavior.

This study employs a randomized controlled trial to evaluate how providing accurate information about local descriptive (i.e., behavioral) and injunctive (i.e., attitudinal) norms to adoloescents and young adults affect HIV/STI transmission behaviors and alcohol misuse. Participants are randomly assigned to one of four treatment arms: (1) a control condition without any normative information; (2) a treatment condition in which they are reminded of what they thought local HIV/STI transmission behavior engagement rates were in their school and then receive accurate information about rates of HIV/STI transmission behavior engagement and prevention in their school; (3) a treatment condition in which they are reminded of what they thought alcohol misuse rates were in their school and then receive accurate information about rates of alcohol misuse behavior in their school; or (4) a treatment condition in which they are reminded of what they thought alcohol misuse rates and local HIV/STI transmission behavior engagement rates were in their school and then receive both types of accurate normative information in their school.

The study assesses how providing this type of personalized normative feedback within cohort-based data collection affects alcohol use and engagement in HIV/STI transmission behaviors, such as condomless sex, transactional sex, and drug/alcohol use during sexual activity. Outcomes will be measured through self-reported data at two time points within 12 months through two follow-up survey waves, which will be compared to baseline self-reported data before exposure to the PNF treatment. We hypothesize that providing accurate information about alcohol misuse and HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior engagement rates will decrease alcohol misuse, decrease engagement in HIV/STI-transmission behavior and increase prevention behavior (primary outcomes), and improve the accuracy of estimated school level rates of engagement in HIV/STI transmission behaviors and alcohol misuse in the future (secondary outcome).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

1350

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Uganda
    • Uganda
      • Mbarara, Uganda, Uganda
        • Mbarara University of Science and Technology
        • Contact:

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All students enrolled in Kinoni High School, Kinoni Girls Secondary School, or Rugando Technical Institute, 13-25 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Persons with psychosis, neurological damage, acute intoxication, or other cognitive impairment (all of which are determined informally in the field by non-clinical research staff in consultation with a supervisor)

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: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Arm 1: No normative feedback

Each version of the questionnaire has similar questions about personal alcohol (mis)use and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior and perceived norms about other students' alcohol misuse and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior. The content of the prompt presented prior to the questions varies based on treatment arm.

This version does not provide any normative feedback information.
Experimental: Arm 2: PNF-HIV norms only

Each version of the questionnaire has similar questions about personal alcohol (mis)use and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior and perceived norms about other students' alcohol misuse and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior. The content of the prompt presented prior to the questions varies based on treatment arm.

This version provides personalized normative feedback with descriptive and injunctive norms information about school level rates of engagement in HIV-transmission and prevention behaviors.
Behavioral: PNF - HIV norms

As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific treatments. This treatment is a survey-based questionnaire with a prompt stating the participant's previously provided estimate of engagement in HIV-transmission behavior engagement in their school. Participants are then provided with the true rates of HIV-transmission behavior engagement in their school, and notification that this is consistent across demographic groups.

Two follow-up waves of survey collection over the 12 months following the PNF will collect information about engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behaviors and alcohol misuse, which will be compared to baseline data collected before treatment.
Experimental: Arm 3: PNF-Alcohol use norms only

Each version of the questionnaire has similar questions about personal alcohol (mis)use and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior and perceived norms about other students' alcohol misuse and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior. The content of the prompt presented prior to the questions varies based on treatment arm.

This version provides personalized normative feedback with descriptive and injunctive norms information about alcohol use.
Behavioral: PNF - Alcohol use norms

As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific treatments. This treatment is a survey-based questionnaire with a prompt stating the participant's previously provided estimate of rates of alcohol use in their school. Participants are then provided with information about the true rates of alcohol use in their school.

Two follow-up waves of survey collection over the 12 months following the PNF will collect information about engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behaviors and alcohol use, which will be compared to baseline data collected before treatment.
Experimental: Arm 4: PNF-HIV transmission and alcohol use norms

Each version of the questionnaire has similar questions about personal alcohol (mis)use and engagement in HIV/STI transmission behavior and perceived norms about other students' alcohol misuse and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behavior. The content of the prompt presented prior to the questions varies based on treatment arm.

This version provides personalized normative feedback with both school level descriptive and injunctive norms surrounding alcohol use and engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behaviors.
Behavioral: PNF - HIV and alcohol use norms

As this is a survey experiment, the "intervention" involves random assignment to a survey questionnaire with specific treatments. The fourth treatment is a survey-based questionnaire with a prompt stating the participant's previously provided estimate of HIV transmission behavior engagement and alcohol use in their school. Participants are then provided with information about the true rates of both HIV transmission behavior engagement and alcohol use in their school.

Two follow-up waves of survey collection over the 12 months following the PNF will collect information about engagement in HIV/STI transmission and prevention behaviors and alcohol use, which will be compared to baseline data collected before treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported engagement in partner concurrency
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported recent engagement in condomless sex
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported engagement in alcohol use
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Measured through the participant's self reported AUDIT-C score.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported HIV testing
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention.
Self-reported alcohol/drug use during sex
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Self-reported engagement in transactional sex
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported PrEP willingness/stigma/interest
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported engagement in other sexual behaviors
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported perception of school-level rates of HIV/STI transmission and prevention behaviors and attitudes
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Self-reported perception of school-level rates of engagement in alcohol use
Time Frame: Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.
Assessed at 3 months and 9 months after the intervention via follow-up survey.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Vanderbilt University

Collaborators

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Massachusetts General Hospital
Brown University
University of California, San Francisco
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Mbarara University of Science and Technology

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 30, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 30, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 22, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 22, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 22, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 250304
  • R01AA031936 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified data will be loaded into NIAAA data archive

IPD Sharing Time Frame

IPD will be deposited in the NIAAA data archive on an ongoing basis, generally every 6 months until data collection is complete.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data is made available to the general research community at the time of an associated primary publication or the end of the award period, whichever comes first

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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