A culturally tailored digital tool to reduce medical mistrust and help Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men access HIV services

Development and Evaluation of a Multilevel, Socio-Culturally Contextualized Digital Health Decision Intervention to Reduce Medical Mistrust and Improve Status-Neutral HIV Service Use among HLMSM

NIH-funded research Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11129595

This project will create and try out a culturally tailored digital tool to build trust in healthcare and help Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men use HIV prevention and care services regardless of HIV status.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionJohns Hopkins University NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Baltimore, United States)
Project IDNIH-11129595 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would be offered a digital decision tool designed with input from your community to address cultural concerns and mistrust of health providers. The tool is meant to guide you to HIV prevention (like PrEP) or treatment options in a status-neutral way, so it supports people whether they are HIV-negative or living with HIV. Researchers will refine the tool using feedback from participants and community partners and then pilot it to see how well it helps people connect with services. The project aims to combine individual-level messages with broader clinic and community outreach to make services easier to use.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men, typically adults (18+), especially those who feel mistrustful of healthcare or are at risk for or living with HIV, would be ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who are not Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men, those without regular phone or internet access, or those already fully engaged in HIV care may not gain much from this tool.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase trust in healthcare and make it easier for Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men to start and stay connected to HIV prevention and treatment services.

How similar studies have performed: Related culturally tailored digital approaches have helped increase HIV prevention and care engagement in some groups, but interventions specifically targeting medical mistrust among Hispanic/Latino MSM are relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Baltimore, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.