TY - JOUR
T1 - Microenterprise intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors and increase employment and HIV preventive practices in economically-vulnerable African-American young adults (EMERGE)
T2 - Protocol for a feasibility randomized clinical trial
AU - Mayo-Wilson, Larissa Jennings
AU - Glass, Nancy E.
AU - Ssewamala, Fred M.
AU - Linnemayr, Sebastian
AU - Coleman, Jessica
AU - Timbo, Fatmata
AU - Johnson, Matthew W.
AU - Davoust, Melissa
AU - Labrique, Alain
AU - Yenokyan, Gayane
AU - Dodge, Brian
AU - Latkin, Carl
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s).
PY - 2019/7/17
Y1 - 2019/7/17
N2 - Background: Economic vulnerability, such as homelessness and unemployment, contributes to the HIV risk among racial minorities in the U.S., who are disproportionately infected. Yet, few economic-strengthening interventions have been adapted for HIV prevention in economically-vulnerable African-American young adults. Engaging Microenterprise for Resource Generation and Health Empowerment (EMERGE) is a feasibility randomized clinical trial of an HIV prevention microenterprise intervention with integrated text messages ("nudges") that are informed by behavioral economic principles. The trial aims to reduce sexual risk behaviors and increase employment and uptake of HIV preventive behaviors. Methods/design: In total, 40 young adults who are African-American, aged 18-24, live in Baltimore City, have experienced at least one episode of homelessness in the last 12 months, are unemployed or underemployed (fewer than 10 h per week), are not enrolled in school, own a cell phone with text messaging, and report at least one episode of unprotected or unsafe sex in the prior 12 months will be recruited from two community-based organizations providing residential supportive services to urban youth. Participants will undergo a 3-week run-in period and thereafter be randomly assigned to one of two groups with active interventions for 20 weeks. The first group ("comparison") will receive text messages with information on job openings. The second group ("experimental") will receive text messages with information on job openings plus information on HIV prevention and business educational sessions, a mentored apprenticeship, and a start-up grant, and business and HIV prevention text messages based on principles from behavioral economics. The two primary outcomes relate to the feasibility of conducting a larger trial. Secondary outcomes relate to employment, sexual risk behaviors, and HIV preventive practices. All participants will be assessed using an in-person questionnaire at pre-intervention (prior to randomization) and at 3 weeks post-intervention. To obtain repeated, longitudinal measures, participants will be assessed weekly using text message surveys from pre-intervention up to 3 weeks post-intervention. Discussion: This study will be one of the first U.S.-based feasibility randomized clinical trials of an HIV prevention microenterprise intervention for economically-vulnerable African-American young adults. The findings will inform whether and how to conduct a larger efficacy trial for HIV risk reduction in this population. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03766165. Registered on 4 December 2018.
AB - Background: Economic vulnerability, such as homelessness and unemployment, contributes to the HIV risk among racial minorities in the U.S., who are disproportionately infected. Yet, few economic-strengthening interventions have been adapted for HIV prevention in economically-vulnerable African-American young adults. Engaging Microenterprise for Resource Generation and Health Empowerment (EMERGE) is a feasibility randomized clinical trial of an HIV prevention microenterprise intervention with integrated text messages ("nudges") that are informed by behavioral economic principles. The trial aims to reduce sexual risk behaviors and increase employment and uptake of HIV preventive behaviors. Methods/design: In total, 40 young adults who are African-American, aged 18-24, live in Baltimore City, have experienced at least one episode of homelessness in the last 12 months, are unemployed or underemployed (fewer than 10 h per week), are not enrolled in school, own a cell phone with text messaging, and report at least one episode of unprotected or unsafe sex in the prior 12 months will be recruited from two community-based organizations providing residential supportive services to urban youth. Participants will undergo a 3-week run-in period and thereafter be randomly assigned to one of two groups with active interventions for 20 weeks. The first group ("comparison") will receive text messages with information on job openings. The second group ("experimental") will receive text messages with information on job openings plus information on HIV prevention and business educational sessions, a mentored apprenticeship, and a start-up grant, and business and HIV prevention text messages based on principles from behavioral economics. The two primary outcomes relate to the feasibility of conducting a larger trial. Secondary outcomes relate to employment, sexual risk behaviors, and HIV preventive practices. All participants will be assessed using an in-person questionnaire at pre-intervention (prior to randomization) and at 3 weeks post-intervention. To obtain repeated, longitudinal measures, participants will be assessed weekly using text message surveys from pre-intervention up to 3 weeks post-intervention. Discussion: This study will be one of the first U.S.-based feasibility randomized clinical trials of an HIV prevention microenterprise intervention for economically-vulnerable African-American young adults. The findings will inform whether and how to conduct a larger efficacy trial for HIV risk reduction in this population. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03766165. Registered on 4 December 2018.
KW - Baltimore
KW - Clinical trial
KW - Economic
KW - Feasibility
KW - HIV
KW - Homeless
KW - Sexual risk behaviors
KW - Text messages
KW - Unemployment
KW - Young adults
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85069434187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85069434187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13063-019-3529-7
DO - 10.1186/s13063-019-3529-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 31315685
AN - SCOPUS:85069434187
SN - 1745-6215
VL - 20
JO - Trials
JF - Trials
IS - 1
M1 - 439
ER -