Ujima Vlogging for PrEP Among Black Women Protocol

If you are interested in participating as a messenger in a vlog for cisgender Black women or healthcare providers, schedule an audition with us using this link.

A Strategic Plan to Develop a Woman-Centered, Culturally Relevant Intervention to Increase Prep
Uptake Among Black Women in Texas

Study Summary:

The overall objective of this one-year research project is to develop vlogs, with tailoring to Black women and HCPs who treat and care for Black women, to motivate actionable access to and uptake of PrEP. This is a developmental study to design a video-log based intervention with a purpose to increase PrEP uptake among Black women in Harris County by enhancing their motivation to use PrEP and increasing provider comfort with prescribing and referring Black women for PrEP.

In this study, we will develop and pilot test a health communication intervention using vlogs to promote access to and uptake of PrEP among eligible Black women who reside in Harris County. We will conduct four focus groups with Black women (n=20) and 20 key informant interviews with HCPs of Black women in Harris County. Utilizing qualitative methods to better understand the influence of culture, race, and gender on Black women’s individual decisions to use PrEP. We will use vignettes in key informant interviews with HCPs to discuss ways to overcome barriers to prescribing and referring Black women for PrEP. Results will inform the content of the
vlogs that are tailored to Black women or HCPs of Black women. We will create vlogs with community members. We will review the vlogs and make revisions before refining and finalizing them for testing.

Number of Sites:

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), McGovern Medical School

Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center

Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital – Houston

Virtual

Study Duration:

12 months

Subject Duration:

Study participation will require 5 -7 minutes for scheduling, 30-60 minutes during Aim 1 for the focus group or interview, and 10-20 minutes for the pre-test, vlog viewership, and 30-day post-test in Aim 3.

Objectives:

Participation in this research may assist participants to increase their knowledge of their personal risk for HIV, and increase a self-protective behavior, PrEP use. The above stated risks are low in degree and procedures have been designed to minimize their probability. We believe this protocol has an extremely favorable risk/benefit ratio. Research at the Texas Emergency Medicine Research Center has an excellent track record with the utmost attention to safety. Study objectives look to address the following:

A1. Black women in the South are not prioritized in research on PrEP engagement.

A2. Preventing new HIV cases among Black women in HIV hotspots is a significant EHE public health priority.

A3. Engaging Black women in PrEP requires developing and testing novel approaches.

Funding and Collaborators:

Project Leadership:

Mandy J. Hill, DrPH, MPH

Mandy Hill, DrPH, MPH completed her doctoral studies in public health (Disease Control) at the University of TX Health, School of Public Health and her master studies in epidemiology at Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. She directs public health research in the department.

Her research priority is creating a niche that merges public health and emergency medicine, with a concentration on HIV/AIDS, STI, and cervical cancer prevention. Her research fund of knowledge is rooted in several years of public health training complimented by years of public health and clinical research experience. She routinely collaborates with clinical and community researchers resulting in abstracts, poster presentations, manuscripts, and federal/non-federal grant submissions. Dr. Hill is designated as Principal Investigator for this project.

Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC, FSAHM, FAAN

Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN is Dean and Associate Professor in the Department of Research at Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston). She holds the Jane and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair and Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing Education Leadership. She is a former Visiting Professor at the University of California San Francisco Center for AIDS Prevention Studies and currently serves as a co-investigator and co-director of the Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR) Mentoring Program and Substance Use Scientific Working Group. She has completed numerous studies among youth experiencing homelessness that address HIV and substance use prevention.

She is currently leading an NIH-funded R01 randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of an ecological momentary-enhanced nurse case management HIV prevention and care coordination intervention among youth 16-25 experiencing homelessness and PrEP adherence among sexual and gender minority identifying youth. This study is also assessing the impact of COVID-19, uptake of vaccine, and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. She is also leading an NIH funded R34 study to co-adapt a mindfulness intervention to address emotion regulation, stress management, and impulse control among sheltered youth. She has expertise in the development, testing, and refinement of various HIV prevention interventions among high-risk communities, especially marginalized young people and those experiencing homelessness. Dr. Maria is designated as Co-investigator for this project.