Better HIV prevention (PrEP) for women who use drugs in Tanzania
Optimizing PrEP Engagement Among Women Who Use Drugs in Tanzania
This project will try counseling and mental health support to help women who use drugs in Tanzania start and stay on PrEP to prevent HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11126661 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would be offered brief motivational counseling tailored to PrEP or a combined program that adds a CBT-based mental health treatment called CETA, both delivered by trained lay counselors. The team will adapt these sessions for women who use heroin in Dar es Salaam and check whether the programs are acceptable and practical. You would get counseling and support for mood, anxiety, trauma, and substance use that can make it hard to begin or keep taking PrEP. The researchers will track who starts PrEP, who continues it over time, and what participants think about the help they received.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adult women (age 21 and older) in Dar es Salaam who use heroin or other drugs, are HIV-negative, and are at risk for HIV and eligible for PrEP are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who are living with HIV, men, adolescents under 21, or women not using drugs are not the focus of this work and are unlikely to benefit from these specific interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help more women who use drugs start and stay on PrEP and lower their risk of HIV infection.
How similar studies have performed: Motivational interviewing and CETA have been used successfully by lay counselors for substance use, mental health, and some HIV prevention efforts, but combining them specifically to boost PrEP among women who use drugs in Tanzania is a new application.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Saleem, Haneefa Tasleem — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Saleem, Haneefa Tasleem
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 below.