Combining peer support and mobile tools to improve HIV prevention and care for Nigerian youth
Intensive Combination Approach to Rollback the HIV Epidemic in Nigerian Youth (iCARE) Plus Effectiveness / Implementation Hybrid Study
This project will try a mix of peer support and mobile-phone tools to help Nigerian young people—especially young men who have sex with men and transgender women—find HIV testing, start care, and stay on treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11400917 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a young person's view, the program pairs trained peer navigators with mobile health messages and apps to help find HIV testing, link youth to clinics, and support taking medications. The team works with government clinics to deliver youth-focused prevention and treatment services and adapts proven tools to Nigeria's social context. The project combines real-world delivery with measurement of outcomes like testing, linkage-to-care, adherence, and viral suppression. It builds on a successful pilot that showed the approach is feasible and acceptable.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Nigerian youth (about 15–24 years old), especially young men who have sex with men, transgender women, and youth living with HIV receiving or needing ART.
Not a fit: People who are outside the target age range, live outside the areas with participating clinics in Nigeria, or cannot access a mobile phone or participating services may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more young people could get tested, start HIV treatment sooner, and achieve viral suppression, lowering illness and new infections.
How similar studies have performed: Peer-navigation and mobile-health approaches have shown promise in prior pilots (including the UG3 pilot) and other settings, but rigorous effectiveness and implementation testing in Nigerian youth is still limited.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Garofalo, Robert — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Garofalo, Robert
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.