A social norms program to help urban adolescent girls and young women use PrEP
Official title: A Pilot Social Norms Intervention to Engage Social Networks of Urban Adolescent Girls and Young Women in PrEP: Msichana Salama
Funded at American University · NIH-11538496 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small pilot in Africa will test whether shaping social norms within networks of out-of-school AGYW can help increase PrEP use and adherence to reduce HIV risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | American University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 17, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $106,067 |
| NIH project number | 3R34MH138249-01A1S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11538496 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are out-of-school adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 who are at risk for HIV in Dar es Salaam.
✕Less likely to help
Girls who are not at risk for HIV or who are not interested in PrEP may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a social norms intervention called Msichana Salama with networks of mostly out-of-school adolescent girls and young women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It is a 24-network pilot trial aiming to see if changing peer norms can support PrEP initiation and ongoing use, alongside safer behaviors. The study will measure feasibility, PrEP uptake, adherence, and HIV-risk practices over time to inform a larger effort.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the intervention could make PrEP more acceptable and easier to use among high-risk AGYW, potentially lowering new HIV infections.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown that social network approaches can influence health behaviors, but this exact PrEP-focused, network-based pilot is exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
American University
Washington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yamanis, Thespina Jeanne — American University
- Study coordinator: Yamanis, Thespina Jeanne
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CARES: A practical program to help adolescent girls and young women use PrEP in Africa
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.