Development of an Intervention to Reduce Heavy Drinking and Improve HIV Care Engagement Among Fisherfolk in Uganda

Summary

Fisherfolk are a high risk population for HIV and are prioritized to receive antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Uganda, but risky alcohol use among fisherfolk is a barrier to HIV care engagement; multilevel factors influence alcohol use and poor access to HIV care in fishing villages, including a lack of motivation, social support, access to savings accounts, and access to HIV clinics. This project aims to address these barriers, and subsequently reduce heavy alcohol use and increase engagement in HIV care, through an intervention in which counselors provide individual and group counseling to increase motivation, while also addressing structural barriers to care through increased opportunities for savings and increased social support. This may be a feasible approach to help this hard-to-reach population reduce drinking and increase access care, which could ultimately reduce mortality rates, improve treatment outcomes, and through its effect on HIV viral load, decrease the likelihood of transmitting HIV to others.

Conditions

• Alcohol Use Disorder
• HIV-infection/Aids

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Kisoboka: Behavioral and Structural Intervention

The intervention has two components; a structural component and a behavioral component. The intervention draws from behavioral economics and motivational interviewing. Structural component: This component is about receiving work payments via mobile money instead of cash. Behavioral component: This component includes feedback on alcohol screening, counseling, client-centered goal setting, self-monitoring, financial literacy training, and text message reminders of life/savings and healthy living goals.

BEHAVIORAL

Screening and Referral

Alcohol screening and referral and emphasizing the importance of HIV care engagement and ART adherence

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Makerere University

  collaborator OTHER

• Mildmay Uganda Limited

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of California, San Francisco

  collaborator OTHER

• San Diego State University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Susan M Kiene · San Diego State University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-01-11

Primary Completion

2022-10-31

Completion

2023-04-27

Countries

• Uganda