Computerized Brief Alcohol Intervention (BI) for Binge Drinking HIV At-Risk and Infected Women
Condition: Alcohol; Harmful Use; Binge Drinking; Risk Behavior; HIV Infection
MeSH terms: Binge Drinking
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      African American (AA) women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDs. The major risk
      factor for HIV acquisition among AA women is high-risk heterosexual sex, including
      unprotected vaginal and anal sex, and sex with a high-risk partner. Hazardous alcohol use has
      been associated with high risk sexual behaviors and prevalent gonorrhea among women attending
      an urban STI clinic, both of which increase a woman's vulnerability to HIV acquisition and
      transmission. This application proposes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a culturally
      tailored computer-directed brief alcohol intervention (CBI) enhanced with cell-phone booster
      calls using interactive voice response technology (IVR) and text messages among HIV-infected
      and at-risk AA women attending an urban STI Clinic. Hazardous drinking AA women (N=450)
      presenting with STI complaints will be randomized to one of three arms: 1) usual clinical
      care, 2) clinic-based, CBI, or 3) clinic-based, CBI + 3 booster calls using IVR and text
      messages. The CBI, an evidence-based based method for behavior change, will use principles of
      motivational interviewing, to counsel on: 1) alcohol use and 2) associated HIV/STI risk
      behaviors. Primary outcomes, measured at 3, 6, and 12 month intervals, include
      alcohol-related risk behaviors (number of binge drinking episodes, drinking days/week, and
      drinks per occasion), sexual risk behaviors (number of partners, episodes of unprotected
      vaginal/anal sex, episodes of sex while high), and occurrence of HIV/STI biomarkers. Prior to
      implementing the RCT, the CBI and IVR software messages will be revised to: 1) include the
      association between hazardous alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors, and 2) ensure their
      relevance and acceptability using quantitative/qualitative feedback from a sample of AA women
      attending a Baltimore City STI clinic. The proposed research focuses on a particularly
      vulnerable population of urban HIV at-risk and HIV-infected AA women seeking treatment in a
      public STI clinic and examines two novel BI intervention delivery strategies specifically
      tailored to be culturally/socially relevant to this minority population. If the
      intervention(s) prove to be effective, study findings will offer "real life" specialty care
      clinics a screening and intervention package that is practical, low cost, and easy to
      implement.
    


Intervention name(s): Computerized brief alcohol intervention + IVR booster calls; Computerized brief alcohol intervention; Attention Control
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 1) Computerized brief alcohol intervention + IVR booster calls: Clinic-based computerized brief alcohol intervention (delivered once) followed by three booster phone calls using interactive voice response technology + text messages; Computerized brief alcohol intervention: Clinic based computer delivered brief alcohol intervention delivered one time; Attention Control: 20 minute attention control condition focused on dental hygiene delivered once
Other intervention name(s): CBI+IVR+TM; CBI
Intervention MeSH terms: Ethanol
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Hazardous alcohol use; Binge drinking; High risk sexual behaviors; HIV risk reduction