Universal Basic Income and Structural Racism in the US South: HIV Care

Part of paid clinical trials in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Sponsor
University of Arkansas
Study ID
NCT06186128
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • HIV
  • Health Care Utilization

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
MALE
Age
25 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Universal Basic Income — BEHAVIORAL
    Universal basic income (UBI) is a system that gives everyone a minimum amount of money regularly, regardless of their income or work status.

Study Details

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a promising strategy aimed at recalibrating economic systems that are grounded in structural racism. Black men have long been the target of oppressive and interconnected systems of finance and healthcare access, leading to a disproportionate burden of exposure to infectious disease with little healthcare support. Yet to our knowledge, no published UBI studies have ever been implemented exclusively with Black men living with HIV in the US. Motivated and inspired by the innovative health and social science being conducted in extremely resource-limited environments in other parts of the world, we recognize an urgent need to better understand the effect of cash transfers on HIV care among Black men in the US South. The proposed study will be based in Arkansas, which, like other Southern states, has a long history of institutional racism and extremely high rates of racial health disparities, poverty, and chronic disease. We will use a mixed methods research design to conduct an in-depth exploration of a UBI intervention to reduce the racial wage gap and promote the use of culturally relevant protective factors. The provision of a UBI is intended to increase receipt and retention of HIV care services and treatment for Black men through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in culturally-based protective factors such as personal agency and social connections. We hypothesize that providing UBI of $500 per month for 6 months will result in increased HIV care utilization among low-income Black men living with HIV. Secondarily, we hypothesize that the effect of UBI will also increase adherence to HIV medication, such that more UBI recipients will achieve and maintain viral suppression compared to individuals in the control condition.

Key Dates

Start date
Aug 3, 2023
Status verified
Oct 2025
Primary completion
Aug 5, 2026
Completion
Dec 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
80 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Arms

  • No Intervention: Control
    All participants will receive the following: 1) a ClinCard and instructions for completing a weekly financial journal to record participants' spending patterns and social needs during the first 6 months of the study; 2) materials about financial literacy and community-based resources that provide support to low-income individuals; 3) description and instructions for follow-up assessments and check-ins; 4) a copy of signed medical release, consent, and HIPAA forms; 5) respondent-driven sampling referral cards; 6) 3 study referral cards, and 7) information about voter registration services provided through the Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk's Office (https://www.pulaskiclerk.com/voter-registration/). Participants will be provided information about the importance of voting, restoration of voting rights, and the process of voting and sealing records.
  • Experimental: Intervention
    Participants in Arm 2 will receive a monthly UBI stipend of $500 for 6 months. Study staff will explain that UBI payments will continue for 6 months and that the UBI payments will be suspended if an individual is reincarcerated (e.g. the participant will not receive UBI payments to their ClinCard during months of incarceration and will not receive additional months post-release from incarceration). Participants will receive their monthly UBI payment, along with all study-related compensation for completing baseline and follow-up assessments, through a ClinCard, which is a loadable debit card with an ID number unique to the participant. The UBI will be loaded to the participant's ClinCard on the first day of each month.

Primary Outcome Measure

Receipt of HIV care [ Time Frame: 1 year ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesLittle RockArkansas72204
Ashley E Williams, MS
[email protected]
501-526-4893

Find similar trials in Little Rock, AR

By condition
HIV
By specialty
Infectious disease
By research site
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences· Little Rock, AR

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