PeerNaija: A Mobile Health Platform Incentivizing Medication Adherence Among Youth Living With HIV in Nigeria

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

54 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-08-01

Study Completion Date

2024-03-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The PEERNaija application will feature routine medication reminders, along with individual adherence monitoring with adherence scores, anonymized peer adherence scores (from peers attending the same clinic; social incentive), and a monthly lottery-based prize for youth with the highest adherence scores (financial incentive). The Investigators will recruit a cohort of 50 HIV-infected adolescents and young adults (AYA) to pilot the app and assess feasibility, acceptability, adoption, and preliminary efficacy of important clinical measures (including adherence and virologic suppression). The proposed study will provide important preliminary data for the role of mobile health (mHealth) platforms to harness and deliver social and financial incentives to promote adherence efforts, especially for vulnerable youth, and for a larger intervention trial evaluating this app among HIV-infected AYA in Nigeria.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

Intensive Combination Approach to Rollback the Epidemic in Nigerian Adolescents: UH3 Phase

NCT04950153

Adolescent HIV Infection

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING NA

A Pilot Study to Examine Efficacy of Peer Mentoring in Promoting Medication Adherence Among People Living With HIV/AIDS

NCT02025322

HIV

UNKNOWN NA

Incentives to Promote Medication Adherence Among HIV-Infected Youth

NCT02206906

HIV

COMPLETED

Medication Adherence in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

NCT02119390

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

COMPLETED NA

A Study of Peer Education to Prevent HIV Transmission Among Injection Drug Users and Their HIV Risk Contacts

NCT00038688

HIV Infections

COMPLETED PHASE3

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The use of digital health solutions, especially medication reminders delivered via mHealth platforms, have shown promise as adherence support tools in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Importantly, the proliferation of mobile phones in resource-limited settings and the early adoption of communication technologies by young people make mHealth technologies an ideal platform for this age group. The Investigators propose to pilot a novel, mHealth peer-based intervention for AYA living with HIV in Nigeria that will utilize social and financial incentives to promote medication adherence. In addition to medication reminders and peer support, the proposed intervention will innovate within the mHealth arena to leverage the currency of social incentives through daily adherence monitoring with the provision of adherence scores for individual users in relation to their peers, and financial incentives through a monthly lottery for youth with the highest adherence scores with the prize delivered through the mHealth application itself. This proposal builds on the Investigator's successful research collaborations in Nigeria with APIN Public Health Initiatives, (APIN, a multi-site non-governmental organization with solid President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief-funded HIV infrastructure), the investigators expertise in building capacity for implementation research, and proficiency in developing and deploying mHealth-based interventions in SSA. This will be accomplished through the following specific aim:

To establish the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of PEERNaija, an mHealth intervention designed to harness peer influence as an incentive to promote medication adherence among a pilot cohort of 50 AYA living with HIV in Nigeria. Hypothesis: PEERNaija will be feasible, acceptable, and show preliminary efficacy in improving antiretroviral (ART) adherence.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

HIV/AIDS

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Social Incentive

For the social incentive, the mHealth application will track the participant's individual adherence score (% of doses taken), track the top scorers (leaderboard), and provide a figure highlighting the proportion of their peers with poor (\<80%), medium (80-94%), or high (\>94%) adherence scores. The display of the individual's adherence score relative to peer scores is considered a descriptive norm and is meant to portray "what most people are doing," as young people often inaccurately estimate behaviors for their peer groups. Participants will also receive an injunctive norm, or an indication of what they ought to be doing. This will come in the form of an emoji or congratulatory vs. motivating text for those with high or low adherence scores, respectively. When coupled with descriptive norms, injunctive norms have counteracted regression to the mean for individuals who demonstrate desirable behaviors relative to their peers.

Group Type OTHER

PeerNaija

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

All participants (anticipated N=50) will receive daily medication reminders and access to the virtual support group on the PEERNaija app. Participants will be randomized to receive a social incentive (anticipated n=25) or a social plus financial incentive (anticipated n=25), PEER+, and be followed for 24 weeks.

Social Plus Financial Incentive

For the financial incentive, the top 5 scorers in the PEER+ arm will be eligible win a lottery prize each month of the 24 week pilot of 1000 Nigerian Naira (NGN) of "data" that can be directly loaded onto the winner's phone. Behavioral economics theory tells us that individuals are more averse to losses than rewarded by gains, so that even incentives/prizes should be framed in terms of losses. Accordingly, participants in the financial incentive arm will receive weekly motivating messages such as "take your dose today or you lose the chance of winning the lottery."

Group Type OTHER

PeerNaija

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

All participants (anticipated N=50) will receive daily medication reminders and access to the virtual support group on the PEERNaija app. Participants will be randomized to receive a social incentive (anticipated n=25) or a social plus financial incentive (anticipated n=25), PEER+, and be followed for 24 weeks.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

PeerNaija

All participants (anticipated N=50) will receive daily medication reminders and access to the virtual support group on the PEERNaija app. Participants will be randomized to receive a social incentive (anticipated n=25) or a social plus financial incentive (anticipated n=25), PEER+, and be followed for 24 weeks.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Own a smartphone (on which they are willing to download PEERNaija),
* 16-27 years of age,
* on ART, and
* demonstrate the ability read simple text language in English.

Minimum Eligible Age

16 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

27 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes