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CompletedNCT01771237Updated Jan 27, 2021

HIV Prevention Among Vulnerable Male Youth

An interventional study of MyPeeps Manualized Group Intervention and Standard Sexual Health Education in Homosexuality, Male, HIV and Substance-related Disorders, sponsored by Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to male participants aged 16 Years to 20 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-01-27.

Sponsored by Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
121
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
16 Years to 20 Years
Sex
Male
01

Study summary

This exploratory study aims to design and test an HIV prevention intervention for young men who have sex with men (MSM) between the ages of 16-20 as this group comprises the US adolescent population most at-risk for HIV infection through sexual contact. To help develop the content and format of our intervention we will first conduct in-depth interviews with twenty-one 18 to 24 year-old young MSM who acquired HIV through male-to-male sexual contact between ages 16-20 (i.e., the target age of our intended intervention). We will then design a group-based primary intervention for young MSM between ages 16-20, relying on the information we gathered from these interviews, as well as consultation from an advisory board of young MSM and HIV prevention experts. Last, we will use an experimental design to compare our intervention to a control condition. We hypothesize that, relative to a control condition of sexual health education and risk reduction, participants in our intervention will demonstrate lower rates of HIV risk behavior, find participation more feasible, and endorse greater acceptability of our intervention.

Read the detailed description

The purpose of this three year study is to develop and then test the feasibility and acceptability of a uniquely targeted HIV risk reduction intervention for young men who have sex with men (MSM), ages 16 to 20, at risk for HIV acquisition or transmission. In year one, the preliminary components of a primary prevention intervention for young MSM aged 16-20 will result from the findings of qualitative interviews conducted among a multiethnic sample of 21 young MSM (aged 18-24) who acquired HIV through male-to-male sexual contact between ages 16-20. In year two, a preliminary primary prevention intervention curriculum will be completed and subsequently refined through community advisory board review. In year three, the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be tested in a two-arm randomized controlled trial in a community-based agency with excellent access to and research experience with the population. We will enroll 100 at-risk young MSM ages 16-20; two-thirds of the sample (N=66)will be randomized to the intervention condition while one-third (N=34) will be randomized to the time-matched attention control condition and receive standard health promotion information in a group-based format. Sexual risk will be assessed at baseline, 6, and 12 weeks post-intervention. The specific aims of this exploratory study are: 1) to design an HIV and substance use primary prevention program for 16-20 year-old urban, ethnically-diverse YMSM; 2) to pilot test and refine study methods; 3) to test the revised multi-ethnic intervention with 100 young YMSM and examine preliminary effects on risky sexual behavior, alcohol/drug use, and psychosocial intermediate outcomes specified by our theoretical framework in preparation for a large-scale, efficacy study. An additional exploratory aim is to describe the prevalence of HIV and STIs in the community recruited sample.

02

Conditions studied

  • Homosexuality, Male
  • HIV
  • Substance-related Disorders
  • Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological

Keywords

  • HIV infection
03

In context

Substance-Related Disorders

2,124 studies on the registry are indexed under Substance-Related Disorders; 393 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 121 is above the median of 108 across 1,727 interventional studies indexed under Substance-Related Disorders.

Browse Substance-Related Disorders studies →

Lead sponsor

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the lead sponsor of 176 studies on the registry; 30 are open to participants now.

Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (50%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
16 Years to 20 Years
Sexes eligible
Male
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • able to speak and read English
  • age 16-20
  • biological/cisgender male
  • willing and able to provide assent/consent
  • HIV-negative or of an unknown HIV serostatus
  • sexually active with male partner in past 12 mos.
  • willing to provide locator information

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unable to provide informed consent due to severe mental or physical illness, or substance intoxication at the time of interview
  • active suicidal ideation at the time of baseline interview
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
121 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    MyPeeps Manualized Group Intervention

    Highly interactive, HIV prevention skills-based group intervention in 6 sessions. Tailored to YMSM.

    Behavioral: MyPeeps Manualized Group Intervention

  • Active comparator
    Standard Sexual Health Education

    Educational group intervention focused on HIV and STI knowledge using a lecture-based format in 6 sessions. Non-tailored to YMSM.

    Behavioral: Standard Sexual Health Education

Interventions

  • BehavioralMyPeeps Manualized Group Intervention

    Topics include: HIV/STI transmission, interpersonal communication, stigma management, condom use, substance use and risky sex, HIV-related harm reduction

    Also known as: MyPeeps Intervention

  • BehavioralStandard Sexual Health Education

    Topics include: HIV/STI transmission facts, myths regarding HIV transmission, information on effectiveness of condom use

    Also known as: Sexual health education-as-usual

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in AIDS-risk behavior (AIDS-Risk Behavior Assessment - ARBA)

    The ARBA assesses changes in substance use (i.e, type of drugs, number of times, method), sexual behavior (e.g., frequency of condom use, frequency of sex with high-risk partners, frequency of sex while using drugs or alcohol, number of partners, frequency of vaginal, oral, and anal sex, and age of sexual debut) and lifetime needle use (e.g., any history of tattooing, sharing, and piercing) across three time periods (i.e., 2 weeks preintervention, 6 week postintervention, and 12 week postintervention).

    Time frame: Baseline, 6- and 12-week

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
    Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Hidalgo MA, Kuhns LM, Hotton AL, Johnson AK, Mustanski B, Garofalo R. The MyPEEPS randomized controlled trial: a pilot of preliminary efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a group-level, HIV risk reduction intervention for young men who have sex with men. Arch Sex Behav. 2015 Feb;44(2):475-85. doi: 10.1007/s10508-014-0347-6. Epub 2014 Aug 19. PubMed 25135064 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 27, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01771237
Lead sponsor
Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Collaborators
Howard Brown Health Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 18, 2013
Start date
Jul 2007
Primary completion
Jan 2011
Completion
Jan 2011
Last update
Jan 27, 2021

Study contacts

Robert Garofalo, MD, MPH
principal investigator · Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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