PEth feedback to help reduce alcohol use in people living with HIV
The Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) Results Communication (PERC) Study
This project offers a blood PEth test and personalized feedback to people with HIV to help reduce unhealthy drinking and support HIV care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11370478 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would have a blood test for PEth, a biomarker that shows recent heavy drinking, and get clear results explained to you during brief counseling. Counselors will use the PEth result to set drinking-reduction goals and to track progress over time, rather than relying only on self-reported drinking. The approach will be offered within HIV clinics in Uganda where brief alcohol interventions are already used. The team will compare usual counseling based on self-report to counseling that includes PEth feedback to see if the objective test improves motivation and outcomes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults living with HIV who receive care at participating HIV clinics in Uganda and who drink alcohol or are suspected of unhealthy alcohol use.
Not a fit: People who do not drink alcohol, decline biomarker testing, or are not receiving care at the participating clinics are unlikely to benefit directly from this effort.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people with HIV recognize and reduce harmful drinking, which may improve ART adherence and overall health.
How similar studies have performed: Brief alcohol counseling has shown modest benefits in people with HIV, but using PEth biomarker feedback to strengthen counseling is a newer approach with limited prior testing.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hahn, Judith Alissa — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Hahn, Judith Alissa
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.