Kings

 

Adapting, Pilot Testing a Behavioral Intervention to Incorporate Advances in HIV Prevention for Black Young MSM in Alabama (Kings)

 

Funded By: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Duration: May 2019-April 2024

 

Study Population(s):

  1. Young sexual minority men (YSMM) ages 18-29, identifies as Black, assigned male sex at birth, sexually active with male partners, has NOT taken an HIV test in the last 6 months, not currently on PrEP, speaks and reads English, able and willing to provide informed consent
  2. CBO Staff: ages 18+, interacts with youth routinely, conducts or supervises community outreach and community-based HIV testing, speaks and reads English, able and willing to provide informed consent

 

Background

"The South... has the highest numbers of people living with HIV who don't know they have been infected, which means they are not engaged in lifesaving treatment... An unconscionable number of them are dying." We know that (1) Black young sexual minority men (YSMM, 18-29 years) have some of the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses in the United States and have experienced a 132% increase in new infections over the past decade, (2) those unaware of that they are living with HIV contribute to over a third of ongoing transmission, and (3) the highest rates of undiagnosed HIV are in Black YSMM in the South.

 

Purpose

The purpose of Kings is to adapt and test Brothers Saving Brothers (BSB), a brief two-part intervention that has been shown to increase rates of HIV testing and acceptance of prevention education in Midwest Black YSMM, but has not been adapted for the South.

 

Study Aims

Aim 1

Elucidate experiences, beliefs, and predictors related to delivery and utilization of HIV testing and prevention services for Black YSMM using qualitative research methods to inform the adaptation of BSB.

 

  • Six focus groups with Black sexual minority men (N=36-48)
  • In-depth interview with key subgroups (N=16-24)
    • Transgender women
    • Black YSMM who have not taken an HIV test in the past 6 months
    • Black YSMM who are on PrEP
    • Black YSMM who were on PrEP but are no longer on PrEP

Aim 2

Adapt the Brothers Saving Brothers (BSB) intervention to include two new HIV prevention tools (rapid testing and PrEP), to address structural barriers, and to be acceptable to Black YSMM in Alabama.

 

  • Uses intervention mapping informed by Aim 1 findings
  • Develop and test Kings (2-4) adaptation cycles

Aim 3

Conduct a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation pilot study of the adapted intervention in which the study will (1) assess acceptability and feasibility of the adapted BSB (Kings); (2) preliminarily estimate effects on HIV prevention outcomes; and (3) collect data on real-world implementation

 

  • Pilot Kings (N=60: N=30 control, N=30 intervention)
  • After RCT is completed, feedback surveys with outreach staff (N=10)
  • In-depth exit interviews among YSMM (N=12)