# Technology-based assessments and intervention to reduce alcohol consumption and improve HIV viral suppression in the Florida Cohort

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2024 · $619,934

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The majority of persons with HIV (PWH) in the US consume alcohol, despite that alcohol use is associated with
lower levels of HIV care engagement and HIV viral suppression. Over the past decade, our research team has
established the Florida Cohort to support research and training with a mission to maximize HIV viral
suppression and improve health outcomes in PWH. Key features of the Florida Cohort include a focus on
alcohol-related issues, academic and community-based partnerships across the state, targeted enrollment of
diverse populations, and linkage to statewide HIV surveillance data. Meanwhile, several agencies in Florida
are implementing new interventions to help achieve HIV viral suppression, including the PositiveLinks (PL)
app. The overarching goals of the current grant proposal are to advance understanding of the mechanisms
influencing adherence to contemporary HIV therapeutic regimens, and to incorporate alcohol-related
interventions into emerging strategies to achieve and maintain HIV viral suppression across diverse
populations. We propose to enroll and survey 1200 new Florida Cohort participants, with targeted enrollment
for heavy drinkers and sexual/ethnic minorities. The survey data will allow us to identify multilevel factors
contributing to ART adherence and viral suppression among alcohol-using PWH. From the overall cohort, 80
alcohol-using PWH will complete “enhanced monitoring (EM)” for one month. The EM group will wear a wrist
alcohol biosensor, report alcohol and other risk factors (e.g., real-time anxiety, depression) and ART
adherence through an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) app, and provide two dried blood spots (DBS)
viral load tests. The EM data will help disentangle the temporal relationships between alcohol, other risk
factors, and ART adherence in real-time. Survey and EM data together with input from the EM participants will
be used to inform the development of several aspects of the biosensor-based intervention. Our interdisciplinary
team will also meet regularly with a new Community/Provider Advisory Board (CAB), who will provide input
related to the ongoing Florida Cohort (e.g., enrollment, survey design) and help develop a plan to integrate the
alcohol biosensor-based intervention into the PL app. The specific aims include: 1) Systematically investigate
multilevel factors based on the social-ecological model and WHO model that influence ART adherence and
subsequently HIV viral suppression in alcohol-using vs. non-using PWH. 2) In 80 alcohol-using PWH, use
alcohol biosensors and EMA data to identify alcohol consumption patterns and risk factors most strongly
associated with ART non-adherence and poor HIV viral suppression. 3) Develop an intervention that
incorporates an alcohol biosensor into an existing mHealth ART adherence intervention, with input from
alcohol-using PWH and a Community/Provider Advisory Board. The rich information we collect in this project
will establish a solid foundation fo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10897096
- **Project number:** 5R01AA030481-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert L Cook
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $619,934
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-20 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10897096

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10897096, Technology-based assessments and intervention to reduce alcohol consumption and improve HIV viral suppression in the Florida Cohort (5R01AA030481-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10897096. Licensed CC0.

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