Engaging men through HIV self-test and differentiated care models to increase ART initiation and viral suppression in Malawi

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $518,257 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Project Summary Men continue to be missed by HIV testing and treatment services. Index partner testing is a critical strategy for reaching men. Index HIV self-testing (HIVST), whereby ART clients take HIVST kits home to their sexual partners for testing, is a new strategy that dramatically increases index testing among men, and is being taken to scale across Malawi. However, only 25% of men identified as HIV-positive through Index HIVST initiate ART after 6- months. Innovative strategies to increase ART initiation and retention among men are urgently needed. The overarching goal of the proposed R01 is to test a home-based ART intervention (ART initiation + 3-months ART care) plus motivational interviewing to increase ART initiation and 6-month viral suppression among men who test HIV-positive through Index HIVST in Malawi. The specific aims are: (1) test the effectiveness of home-based versus facility-based ART on ART initiation and 6-month viral suppression among male partners who test through Index HIVST; (2) Identify predictors of ART initiation and 6-month viral suppression; and (3) Determine the cost and cost-effectiveness of home-based ART versus facility-based among male partners using Index HIVST. The trial will provide urgent information on innovative HIV service delivery strategies for hard-to-reach-populations, such as men. Findings are expected to inform national policy and international recommendations around combined differentiated models that reach across the HIV treatment cascade.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10196965
Project number
5R01MH122308-02
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
Principal Investigator
Thomas J. Coates
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2021
Award amount
$518,257
Award type
5
Project period
2020-06-17 → 2025-05-31