Combining peer support and mobile tools to reduce HIV in Nigerian youth
Intensive Combination Approach to Rollback the HIV Epidemic in Nigerian Youth (iCARE) Plus Effectiveness / Implementation Hybrid Study
This program uses peer navigators and phone-based tools to help Nigerian young people—especially young men who have sex with men and transgender women—get HIV testing, start treatment, and stay on care.
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-11400916 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be connected with trained peer navigators who provide one-on-one support for finding testing, linking to clinics, and staying on treatment. The program adds mobile health (mHealth) tools like reminder messages and app-based check-ins to boost adherence and clinic engagement. It also works with government clinics to expand youth-friendly services and reach more young men who have sex with men and transgender women. This phase tests how well these combined approaches work at scale in real-world Nigerian settings after a successful pilot.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Nigerian youth (roughly ages 15–24), particularly young men who have sex with men, transgender women, and young people living with HIV who need help with linkage or adherence to ART.
Not a fit: People outside the target age range, living outside Nigeria, or not seeking HIV services at participating sites are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more Nigerian youth learn their HIV status, start antiretroviral therapy sooner, and achieve viral suppression more often.
How similar studies have performed: A prior iCARE pilot demonstrated feasibility and initial efficacy using the same peer navigation plus mHealth approach, and this grant expands that work to real-world effectiveness and implementation testing.
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.