Reducing unhealthy drinking and improving mental health for people with HIV in Zambia
CHARTZ
A brief counseling program delivered by trained lay providers aims to help adults with HIV in Zambia cut down on risky drinking and improve mental health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11173881 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be offered the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), a package of counseling techniques delivered by trained lay providers in local clinics. The program is typically delivered in 6–12 one-on-one sessions and addresses alcohol use along with depression, trauma, and other substance problems in a single plan. This project is a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial, so researchers will look at both how well the counseling helps people and how feasible it is for clinics to deliver it. The work focuses on adults living with HIV in Zambia where conventional brief alcohol interventions have not worked well.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (18+) living with HIV in Zambia who are drinking at unhealthy levels and may have co-occurring depression, trauma, or other substance use are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without HIV, those not drinking at risky levels, individuals requiring specialized psychiatric or inpatient care, or people who live outside participating clinics in Zambia are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help people with HIV drink less, reduce mental health symptoms, and improve adherence to HIV treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous randomized trials of CETA showed benefits for mental health and substance-related problems in low-resource and trauma-affected populations, but brief alcohol interventions have generally not succeeded in sub-Saharan Africa, so this specific application remains promising but not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vinikoor, Michael Jeffrey — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Vinikoor, Michael Jeffrey
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.