Financial Incentives to Promote Stimulant Abstinence in a Community-Based Syringe Exchange Program

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Stimulant Use
• Interventions: Behavioral: Incentives for Abstinence; Behavioral: Health Education

• Registration Number: NCT05787847
• Lead Sponsor: University of Vermont

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized control pilot study is to learn about a financial incentives intervention among individuals who use stimulants and take part in a community-based syringe exchange program. The main question it aims to answer is how financial incentives for not using stimulants will impact stimulant use. Participants in the experimental group will have the opportunity to earn financial incentives for providing a negative urine sample for stimulants using a point-of-care test, which indicates abstinence from stimulant use, along with health education on the health risks of stimulant use and substance injection. Researchers will compare the experimental group to the control group who will receive health education on the health risks of stimulants use and injection.

Detailed Description

The investigators are proposing a two condition, parallel groups, randomized control pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of a financial incentives intervention among individuals who use stimulants and take part in a community-based syringe exchange program. The study design will include recruiting service recipients who already participate in programs offered by a syringe exchange program.The experimental group will have the opportunity to earn financial incentives contingent on providing a negative urine sample for stimulants using a point-of-care test, which indicates abstinence from stimulant use, in addition to health education on the health risks of stimulant use and substance injection. The control group will receive health education on the health risks of stimulants use and injection. All participants will participate in their syringe exchange services as usual. The investigators chose the health education as the control because participants across both conditions already receive the services provided by the syringe exchange program. Moreover, this control condition will help control for a potential type of between-groups variability.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2023-03-15
• Study First Submitted QC: 2023-03-15
• Study First Posted: 2023-03-28
• Study Start: 2024-02-14
• Status Verified: 2024-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-05-06
• Last Update Posted: 2024-05-08
• Primary Completion: 2024-10
• Study Completion: 2024-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

• be 18 years or older
• report using stimulants in the past 30 days
• meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis for stimulant use disorder at a moderate or severe level (i.e., 6 or more of the 11 criteria)
• participation in services at syringe exchange program

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Exclusion Criteria

• failure to meet one or more inclusionary criteria
• individuals who are cognitively impaired by their drug use or psychiatric conditions that could preclude informed consent

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Health Education plus Incentives for Abstinence	Incentives for Abstinence	-
Health Education	Health Education	-
Health Education plus Incentives for Abstinence	Health Education	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
stimulant free urine sample	12 weeks	all samples will be assessed using point-of-care test conducted at the center

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Howard Center; 🇺🇸 Burlington, Vermont, United States