Positive Health Check Evaluation Trial

The summary for the Positive Health Check Evaluation Trial grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Positive Health Check Evaluation Trial: HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) can durably suppress the plasma HIV-1 viral load which improves individual survival and dramatically reduces further HIV transmission. Achieving HIV viral suppression is a primary goal when initiating ART. Unfortunately, there are gaps throughout the continuum of HIV care in the United States and research shows only 25% of all people living with HIV (PLWH) know they are infected, get regular medical care, take ART, and achieve HIV viral suppression. Recent studies show that computer-based interventions are effective in improving protective health behaviors including ART adherence and sexual risk reduction among PLWH. In response to the need for more comprehensive and feasible interventions, CDC has developed Positive Health Check, a brief web-based video counseling intervention to improve clinical health outcomes for PLWH including ART initiation, ART adherence as measured by suppressed HIV-1 viral load, retention in care, and sexual risk reduction as measured by incident STDs. The intervention is to be used by English-speaking PLWH in HIV primary care to supplement existing clinical care services. The grantee will conduct the Positive Health Check Evaluation Trial and evaluate the study intervention in eligible PLWH from three or four diverse HIV primary care clinics in the United States. The grantee will enroll a minimum of 2,320 eligible participants (1,160 per study arm) in the study trial, with a minimum of 580 to a maximum of 1,160 enrolled per clinic. Electronic medical records, laboratory reporting data, medical charts, and appointment records from participating clinics will be used to determine patient eligibility for the study. PLWH who are eligible and enrolled in the trial will be randomized to either the intervention arm (i.e., Positive Health Check plus standard clinical care) or to the control arm (i.e., standard clinical care only). The Positive Health Check Evaluation Trial tests whether the intervention significantly improves persons’ clinical outcomes, including ART initiation, ART adherence (measured by suppressed HIV-1 viral load), retention in care, and sexual risk reduction (measured by incident STDs). The trial will also document the current standard of care for each collaborating clinic and the cost and feasibility of implementing and integrating the Positive Health Check intervention in diverse HIV primary care clinic settings in the United States.