A Pilot Peer Mentor Intervention That Trains Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (BMSM) to Use and Promote Uptake of HIV/STI Self-Testing to Peers and Sex Partners: STAR Study (Self-Testing at Your Residence)

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: HIV/AIDS
Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Interventions: Behavioral: Peer Mentor
Behavioral: Website only

Registration Number: NCT04121962

Lead Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Brief Summary: The objectives of the study are to assess the feasibility, reach and preliminary efficacy of a brief intervention that trains Black men who have sex with men \[referred to as Index\] (a) to use home-based testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and (b) promote home-based testing to their peers and sexual partners.

Detailed Description: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase one's risk of HIV infection, are serious co-infections that affect HIV clinical outcomes, and remain a risk for individuals using PrEP. Self-testing methods address barriers to clinic-based testing by offering convenience and privacy and have been shown to be well accepted by MSM. Therefore, use of self-testing is a potential approach through which to improve HIV and STI testing rates in MSM. Internet-based distribution (herein: web-based) of STI self-test kits enables an individual to request sampling kits via a website, mail biological specimens (e.g. urethral swabs) to a laboratory for testing, and view test results through a web-based account. Web-based self-HIV oral testing enables an individual to request a test kit, collect an oral specimen, and receive results within 20 minutes. Despite these potential benefits and reports of willingness to use free self-testing, uptake has been low due to barriers such as concerns about accuracy of the tests, apprehension to collect specimens, low risk perception, and the desire for counseling. In the proposed study, investigators will pilot test an intervention that address these barriers by training BMSM with information about the accuracy of the HIV rapid oral test kit, demonstrating how to properly collect specimens for HIV and STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis) self-testing, and providing resources for linkage to HIV and STI treatment and PrEP services. Study participants will utilize a secure website to request test kits.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: Male

Target Recruitment: 163

Inclusion Criteria

self-report male sex
condomless anal sex with >1 male in the prior 6 months
self-report Black race
aged 18 or older
internet use at least once a week.

Exclusion Criteria

younger than 17

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Peer Mentor	Peer Mentor	Peer Mentor Training is 5 individual sessions with a 30 day check-in session. This condition is focused on training Index with communication skills to promote HIV and STI testing and treatment and pre-exposure prophalaxis (PrEP) to individuals in their social networks. Peer Mentor training is conducted by a one health educator. The sessions are held once a week and will last approximately 60 minutes.
Control	Website only	Is one individual-based session which will be conducted by sending a video about the website of a health educator.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Session Attendance	3 month	number of participants who completed 80%
Number of Index Participants Who Requested Test Kits	3 months	Number of Index participants who requested test kits is reported
Number of Participants Who Return Kits for Testing	3 month	Number of participants who returned kits to lab for testing is reported.