A Trauma-Informed Program to Increase HIV Prevention Medication Use Among Black Women in Baltimore

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a multilevel trauma-informed approach to increase HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis PrEP initiation among Black cisgender women in Baltimore, who are considered a high-risk group for HIV. This study aims to address socio-structural challenges such as intimate partner violence and gendered racism that may limit access to PrEP, focusing on both women with and without experiences of intimate partner violence. The research is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and involves a randomized design without masking. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group will receive behavioral lifestyle education related to biomedical HIV prevention, consisting of four weekly group sessions and four individual sessions with a peer navigator. The control group will receive a single group session. These sessions aim to increase understanding and uptake of PrEP among eligible Black women. During the study, researchers will monitor PrEP initiation up to six months after baseline and assess adherence at two, four, and six months post-randomization. Participant involvement includes attending scheduled educational sessions and follow-up assessments. The study will track how well participants start and continue PrEP use, with safety and sustainability of the intervention also evaluated. The total study duration extends through February 2028.

A Multi-Level Trauma-Informed Approach to Increase HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Initiation Among Black Women