CARES: a help plan to support PrEP use for adolescent girls and young women in Africa and beyond

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

This project adapts an adherence support program called CARES for use in real-world clinics in Zimbabwe and South Africa. It adds injectable PrEP and keeps options like support clubs, calls, and text messages to help young women stick with PrEP. The study will test whether CARES can be implemented with fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability outside a tightly controlled trial. It will measure how well the program works in practice, including how well clinics can deliver it and whether it improves PrEP adherence. Participants will be young women at risk of HIV who access PrEP services at participating sites.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Research Triangle Institute
  Research Triangle Park, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Roberts, Sarah Tyler — Research Triangle Institute
• Study coordinator: Roberts, Sarah Tyler

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• mChoice: Boosting PrEP Use and Adherence for Black and Latino MSM with Tailored Training and Support

  A national study to help Black and Latino men who have sex with men start and stick with PrEP through culturally matched provider training and patient support.

  NIH research Columbia University Health Sciences · New York, United States · NIH-11624204

• Harnessing male peer networks to boost HIV testing and PrEP use

  A large clinical trial in South Africa tests whether giving HIV self-test kits through male peer networks, with phone support, increases PrEP uptake among men.

  NIH research Stellenbosch University · Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA · NIH-11621079

• Harnessing men's peer networks to boost HIV self-testing and PrEP use

  A large project in South Africa tests whether giving HIV self-test kits through men’s social networks, with phone support, can lead to more men starting PrEP and using HIV testing.

  NIH research Stellenbosch University · Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA · NIH-11621078

• Participatory system dynamics to improve PrEP access in the Bronx

  A community-driven project in the Bronx will use system dynamics to identify practical ways to help people at risk for HIV start and stay on PrEP.

  NIH research Albert Einstein College of Medicine · Bronx, United States · NIH-11593939

• TB PrEP: Bringing HIV prevention to households affected by TB in Uganda

  Aims to help people in households with TB in Uganda access HIV PrEP as part of a combined prevention approach.

  NIH research University of Washington · Seattle, United States · NIH-11590744

• CARES: A practical program to help adolescent girls and young women use PrEP in Africa

  A program called CARES helps young women in South Africa and Zimbabwe use different PrEP options better, with counseling, reminders, and options for support.

  NIH research Research Triangle Institute · Research Triangle Park, United States · NIH-11589304

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.