Trial results for a pilot behavioral intervention aimed at HIV prevention were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-02-09. The "Kings" intervention led to 24 participants accepting a rapid HIV test, compared to 13 participants in the standard counseling group.
Background
HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health challenge, particularly in regions like Alabama, where rates of undiagnosed HIV in Black young men who have sex with men (YMSM, 18-29 years) exceed 20%. Effective prevention strategies are crucial, including promoting HIV rapid testing, delivering culturally appropriate prevention education, and offering sociostructural support. This project aimed to adapt and test a behavioral intervention to address these needs within the community.
Trial design
This pilot study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled a total of 59 subjects. The trial focused on the condition HIV/AIDS. The intervention involved a behavioral approach referred to as "Kings," designed to promote HIV rapid testing, deliver prevention education, and offer sociostructural support. This was compared against a "Standard Counseling" group. The overall goal was to test the adapted behavioral intervention in a pilot setting.
Key results
The study reported on several key measurements:
- Acceptability as Assessed by Participant Self-rated Satisfaction With the Intervention:
- For the "Kings" group, the mean score was 3.47 on this question.
- For the "Standard Counseling" group, the mean score was 3.19 on this question.
- Did the Study Participant Accept a Rapid HIV Test After the Delivery of the Kings or Standard Outreach Intervention?:
- In the "Kings" group, 24 participants accepted a rapid HIV test.
- In the "Standard Counseling" group, 13 participants accepted a rapid HIV test.
- Did the Study Participant Secure a Prescription for PrEP?:
- In the "Kings" group, 0 participants secured a prescription for PrEP.
- In the "Standard Counseling" group, 0 participants secured a prescription for PrEP.
What this means
The results of this pilot study suggest that the "Kings" behavioral intervention was perceived as more acceptable by participants, with a higher mean satisfaction score compared to standard counseling. More importantly, the "Kings" intervention led to a greater number of participants accepting a rapid HIV test, indicating its potential effectiveness in increasing testing uptake among Black young men who have sex with men. However, neither intervention in this pilot led to participants securing a prescription for PrEP, highlighting a potential area for further intervention development or exploration.
Source
The information for these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT03680729, titled "Pilot Testing a Behavioral Intervention to Incorporate Advances in HIV Prevention for Black Young MSM in Alabama", were posted on 2026-02-09 on clinicaltrials.gov.