The Coach Mpilo Study: Evaluation of a Peer-led Intervention to Promote Engagement in HIV Care for Men Living With HIV

Summary

Developed in South Africa using extensive input from community members and healthcare professionals, Coach Mpilo is a peer support intervention that was designed to improve health outcomes for men living with HIV. Coach Mpilo engages men living with HIV as coaches who provide support to their peers and help them address psychosocial barriers in accessing and staying in HIV care. The peers employed by Coach Mpilo provide individualized assistance to men who are struggling with medication adherence and clinic visits, focusing on specific barriers ranging from knowledge about the benefits of HIV treatment, stigma, mental health, and social isolation.

Through a randomised control trial, this project will (1) determine the impact of the Coach Mpilo intervention on retention in HIV care, viral suppression, HIV treatment adherence, mental health, HIV stigma, and economic status; (2) identify populations of men who may not benefit from the intervention and require alternative support; and (3) assess the intervention's cost-effectiveness.

Conditions

• HIV

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Coach Mpilo

The experimental group receives the standard of care for the control group (see control group description) and the Coach Mpilo intervention. Coach Mpilo employs 'coaches' (a term found to resonate with men and the concept of 'getting back in the game') to work 1-on-1 with men living with HIV ('players') and tailor support for each man to help him re-engage and stay in care. Coaches provide support for a period of up to six months, during which they engage with clients about once every week, with greater contact as needed based on the complexity of challenges faced. Coach Mpilo provides one-on-one, in-person support tailored to the individual needs of men living with HIV. As such, it may address the complex and varying psychosocial barriers to HIV care that traditional clinic-based interventions typically overlook. Coach Mpilo employs men living openly with HIV as coaches. This leverages the coaches' personal experiences to create a safe and supportive environment for clients.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Cape Town

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Brendan G Maughan-Brown, PhD · University of Cape Town

• Harsha Thirumurthy, PhD · University of Pennsylvania

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-11

Primary Completion

2027-09-30

Completion

2027-09-30

Countries

• South Africa

Study Locations