Pay-it-forward gonorrhea testing for men who have sex with men
Pay-it-forward gonorrhea testing among men who have sex with men: The PIONEER pragmatic randomized controlled trial
This project offers free gonorrhea testing and uses two pay‑it‑forward community approaches to encourage men who have sex with men to get tested.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11041098 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered a gonorrhea test paid for by a previous participant and then given the option to donate toward another person's test. The trial randomly assigns men who attend participating STD clinics to either pay-for-your-own testing, a basic pay‑it‑forward approach, or a community‑engaged pay‑it‑forward approach with more outreach. The team will track how many people accept testing under each approach and collect brief information about participants. Earlier pilot work in two cities showed much higher testing with pay‑it‑forward than with paying for tests.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Men who have sex with men who visit the participating sexual health/STD clinics in the study cities and are eligible for gonorrhea testing are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who are not men who have sex with men, those who do not attend the participating clinics or live outside the study areas, and those already routinely tested may not benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce cost barriers and help more people get timely treatment, lowering gonorrhea spread and the risk of antibiotic resistance.
How similar studies have performed: A pilot randomized trial in two cities already showed a large increase in gonorrhea testing uptake with pay‑it‑forward compared to paying for tests, though the community‑engaged version is newer.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tucker, Joseph David — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Tucker, Joseph David
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.