# A Pragmatic Clinical Trial of MyPEEPS Mobile to Improve HIV prevention Behaviors in Diverse Adolescent MSM

> **NIH NIH U01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $1,575,816

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a greater burden of HIV/AIDS than any other population group in the
US, comprising only 2% of the population but 56% of individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
Although much of the
increased incidence in HIV has been reported among young MSM (YMSM), especially among racial and ethnic
minority groups, and is linked to high-risk sexual behavior, there remains a dearth of evidence-based HIV
prevention interventions for YMSM – and none that address racially/ethnically diverse YMSM. To address this
need, our study, in response to RFA-MD-15-012, leverages mobile technology and MyPEEPS, an existing
theory-driven, multi-ethnic, group-level, evidence-based intervention for diverse YMSM. MyPEEPS is a
manualized curriculum, developed by members of our proposed Investigative team, comprised of 6 modules
focusing on key intermediate social and personal factors, including knowledge (e.g., correct way to use a
condom), self-efficacy for safer sex, interpersonal communication skills and behavioral skills. MyPEEPS is one
of the only HIV prevention interventions in the literature that focuses on diverse adolescent MSM. Long-term
sustainability of face-to face, group-level behavioral interventions, such as MyPEEPS, have been problematic
for dissemination in at-risk populations, particularly among young racial and ethnic minority groups. In
response to this challenge, we propose to translate MyPEEPS from a face-to-face, group-based curriculum to
a mobile, responsive-driven web-based platform, accessible by smartphone or other web-enabled devices, to
increase accessibility and scalability for diverse YMSM. The ubiquitous nature of mobile phones in daily life,
especially among 13-18 year olds, has created opportunities for health interventions in a portable format with
enhanced privacy. Using a participatory approach, our study will incorporate user-centered design in the
translation of the MyPEEPS intervention onto a mobile platform. MyPEEPS Mobile will be tested in an RCT
with racially and ethnically diverse HIV-negative or unknown status YMSM aged 13-18 at four geographically
diverse sites: Birmingham, Chicago, New York City, and Seattle, allowing for increased generalizability of
findings. The proposed MyPEEPS Mobile intervention is a novel and evidence-driven intervention using mobile
technology to deliver HIV prevention information specifically developed for at-risk YMSM. This will be the one
of the first studies to test the efficacy of a scaled-up, mobile version of an existing HIV prevention intervention
originally developed for, designed by, and piloted for, a diverse group of YMSM. The research team has unique
experience and expertise to conduct this important work and has conducted significant preliminary work related
to the project goals. If efficacious, the public health impact is large, as the intervention will already be in mobile
format which is well-suited for widespread dissemination.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9902191
- **Project number:** 5U01MD011279-05
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert Garofalo
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,575,816
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9902191

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9902191, A Pragmatic Clinical Trial of MyPEEPS Mobile to Improve HIV prevention Behaviors in Diverse Adolescent MSM (5U01MD011279-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9902191. Licensed CC0.

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