Improving support for adolescents living with HIV to enhance their care and medication adherence
Official title: Social support to retain adolescents living with HIV in care and improve ART adherence
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-10893200 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how friends and family can help teenagers living with HIV in South Africa stick to their treatment and stay healthy, and it will create fun ways to support them in doing so.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $178,151 |
| NIH project number | 7K08MH118965-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-10893200 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adolescents living with HIV, particularly those in South Africa who may struggle with medication adherence.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not living with HIV or those outside the adolescent age range may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a social support intervention aimed at adolescents living with HIV in South Africa. It seeks to understand how social networks influence treatment outcomes and to create engaging methods to keep these young individuals in care and improve their adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The project will utilize social network analysis to inform the design of the intervention, which will be tested and evaluated for effectiveness. By addressing the unique challenges faced by this population, the research aims to enhance their overall health outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly improve the health and well-being of adolescents living with HIV by increasing their adherence to treatment and retention in care.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that social support interventions can be effective in improving health outcomes for individuals with chronic conditions, suggesting potential success for this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ritchwood, Tiarney D — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Ritchwood, Tiarney D
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.