Tushirikiane-4-Uthabiti (Supporting Each Other For Resilience)

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Diagnostic test, Device, Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Displaced and refugee youth in Uganda are more vulnerable to health risks due to financial insecurity. As such, the investigators aim to explore the utility of an intervention aimed at improving livelihoods, called Creating Futures. Creating Futures is a group intervention that aims to help young people build their livelihoods, and was designed for use with youth (18-24) in urban informal settlements in South Africa. Since there is a dearth of knowledge regarding efficacious interventions in refugee camps/settlements to engage young people in HIV testing and linkage to care, the investigators will harness various health promotion techniques including mHealth, comics, and the Creating Futures livelihoods intervention to address the urgent needs for: 1) HIV testing interventions with refugee/displaced adolescent and young people in Kampala, and 2) innovative HIV self test (HIVST) delivery strategies to increase linkage to confirmatory testing and HIV care. The investigators will conduct a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of HIVST delivery methods among AYP living in Kampala. The specific objectives are to: Evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of: 1) HIVST alone; 2) HIVST in combination with mHealth; and 3) HIVST, mHealth and Creating Futures in combination in increasing routine HIV testing, HIV status knowledge, and linkage to confirmatory testing and HIV care. The investigators aim to examine if adding a livelihoods program to HIV self-testing improves HIV prevention outcomes and other facets of well-being among urban refugee youth in Kampala.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 16
Maximum Age: 25
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:

• Living in one of the five selected Kampala informal settlements (Kabalagala, Kansanga, Katwe, Nsambya, or Rubaga)

• Identify as a displaced person, refugee, or as having a refugee or displaced parent(s)

• Aged 16-25 years

• Own or have daily access to a mobile phone

• Speak French, English, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, or Swahili

Locations
Other Locations
Uganda
Young African Refugees for Integral Development
RECRUITING
Kampala
Contact Information
Primary
Carmen Logie, PhD
carmen.logie@utoronto.ca
6474544203
Backup
Moses Okumu, PhD
okumu@illinois.edu
6476067832
Time Frame
Start Date: 2024-03-01
Estimated Completion Date: 2024-12-31
Participants
Target number of participants: 432
Treatments
Experimental: Arm 1: HIVST Alone
Participants will be provided with HIVST instructions and education from peer navigators, who will also emphasize the importance of receiving a confirmatory test irrespective of HIV positive result. Peer navigators will demonstrate how to use an HIVST kit, including how to 1) open the kit, 2) collect the oral fluid samples, and 3) read the results. In addition to HIVST education, participants will be offered optional pre-test counselling and SMS contact information to connect with their peer navigator. If participants do not want post-test counselling, the PN will follow up within two weeks. If the participants report testing positive, then they will be immediately scheduled for confirmatory testing and enrolled in the support programs at MARPI for young people living with HIV.
Experimental: Arm 2: HIVST + mHealth
Participants in this arm will be enrolled into the HIVST intervention (as described above) as well as mHealth. The mHealth intervention is a 5-week program that includes a: 1) weekly SMS check-in moderated by the peer navigator; 2) weekly themed informational SMS and accompanying questions to enhance engagement; 3) WhatsApp group multi-media sharing with peer navigators. The peer navigator and coordinator will review group discussions weekly to incentivize engagement; 4) participatory comic books. The investigators are collaborating with the WelTel non-profit agency for a supportive SMS intervention. Weekly 2-way supportive messages will automatically be sent on the same weekday with WelTel software to Arm 2+3 participants, who should respond within 48 hours.
Experimental: Arm 3: HIVST + mHealth + Creating Futures Livelihoods program
In addition to HIVST and mHealth access, participants in Arm 3 will also be in enrolled in an 8-week Creating Futures program. This manualized program was developed with youth in South Africa and adapted for the Kenyan context (manual is appended). Topics within the Creating Futures program include: 1) introduction and situating self; 2) sustainable and social resources; 3) peer group meeting; 4) education and learning; 5) getting and keeping jobs; 6) income generating activities; 7) saving and coping with shocks; 8) reflection and looking ahead. This intervention aims to help participants think about, and plan for, their futures to assist them in making a living in the long term. Each workshop is facilitated by pairs of peer navigators and runs from 2-4 hours.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: University of Toronto

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov