# Reaching 90 90 90 in Adolescents in Zambia: Using all our SKILLZ

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2021 · $453,951

## Abstract

Project Summary/ Abstract
Despite considerable progress, many countries are still struggling to achieve the
UNAIDS 90 90 90 targets. These targets have been particularly challenging amongst
adolescent girls, with poorer uptake, retention and viral suppression being reported3-6
Grassroot Soccer (GRS) and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia
(CIDRZ) have collaborated to develop a comprehensive adolescent package that
providse sexual and reproductive health services (SRH), including HIV testing and
treatment, in adolescent friendly spaces. This program builds off a strong social support
with peer mentoring and the use of social networking and adolescent-friendly clinical
services that integrate HIV with sexual and reproductive health services (SRH). The
`SKILLZ programme' developed for adolescent girls by GRS generates demand for all
steps in the HIV cascade among young women. It is a sport-based school intervention,
to increase the use of HIV and SRH services and to improve psychosocial well-being,
including self-esteem, empowerment, and self-sufficiency. To ensure an uninterrupted
continuum of care, we have integrated SKILLZ with CIDRZ teen services to create
`SKILLZ Plus', a seamless 90-90-90 pathway for adolescents in Zambia. Instead of
focusing on changing young women's attitudes towards their own risk using a medical
model, we leverage the power of soccer, local peer mentors and female life coaches to
build bridges between young women and services often viewed as inaccessible, distant
or irrelevant.
Our Specific Aims are to 1.Examine the incremental cost effectiveness of SKILLZ
Girl on HIV testing among adolescent girls in secondary schools in Lusaka using a
quasi-experimental impact evaluation. 2. Assess the impact of SKILLZ Plus over
two years on viral load suppression (Aim 2a) at 6 months and retention at 6 months, 12
months and 24 months (Aim 2b) through an individual-level randomized controlled
trial for those who test positive and 3. Identify mediators, predictors and barriers to
uptake of SKILLZ Plus (testing, retention and viral load suppression) both quantitatively
through mediation and moderation analyses and qualitatively through focus groups
discussions (FGD) with coaches and girls.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10212923
- **Project number:** 5R01MH116789-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Carolyn Bolton Moore
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $453,951
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-25 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10212923

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10212923, Reaching 90 90 90 in Adolescents in Zambia: Using all our SKILLZ (5R01MH116789-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10212923. Licensed CC0.

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