Adolescents Living With HIV (ALWH): Social Networks, Adherence and Retention

Launched by WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · Aug 30, 2019

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is focused on understanding how social support can help adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) stick to their treatment and stay engaged with their healthcare. In South Africa, many young people with HIV are not receiving the care they need, which puts them at risk for serious health issues. The study aims to find out what types of social support work best for these adolescents, especially from friends and family, and to create interventions that can help them improve their treatment adherence and overall health outcomes.

To participate in this study, adolescents aged 15 to 24 who live in the study area must be able to give permission for themselves or have a guardian provide consent. They will also need to invite at least one person from their social circle to join them in this study. Participants can expect to engage in activities that help them identify trustworthy support within their networks, which is essential for managing their HIV treatment effectively. This trial is important because it seeks to develop tailored approaches that can make a real difference in the lives of ALWH, especially in areas where support systems are lacking.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • reside in study area
• • able to provide consent or assent
• • agreeable to allowing the research team to have access to their clinic data to assess retention in human immunodeficiency virus- (HIV) care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence
• • each Adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) must recruit at least one social network member to participate in the intervention with them
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • None