Using future-focused thinking to lower HIV risk
Development of a Behavioral Economic Intervention to Reduce HIV Risk Behaviors
This project offers an Android app that teaches future-oriented thinking to help 18–34-year-olds who engage in meth use and high-risk sex stick with HIV prevention like PrEP and safer sex.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Science Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Antonio, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11187196 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll use an Android app that delivers Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) prompts to help you focus on personal future goals and consequences. The team will refine the app and deliver brief tasks and surveys to see whether these prompts change choices linked to PrEP adherence, condom use, and methamphetamine use during sex. Participation will likely include short app sessions and a few clinic or online check-ins to collect behavior and decision-making measures. The study compares behavior before and after using the app to see if valuing future outcomes more reduces immediate risky choices.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are 18–34-year-olds who engage in sexual risk behaviors, have lapses in PrEP adherence or are at risk of nonadherence, and who use methamphetamine or other stimulants during sex.
Not a fit: People outside the 18–34 age range, those not engaging in high-risk sexual behavior or meth use, those already consistently adherent to PrEP, or those without an Android smartphone may not benefit from this specific program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help people stay on PrEP, reduce meth-associated risky sex, and lower their chance of getting HIV.
How similar studies have performed: Episodic Future Thinking has shown promise in earlier studies for reducing impulsivity, substance use, and improving medication adherence, but using it via an app specifically to boost PrEP and condom use among meth-using young adults is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
San Antonio, United States
- University of Texas Hlth Science Center — San Antonio, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Okafor, Chukwuemeka Nkemakonam — University of Texas Hlth Science Center
- Study coordinator: Okafor, Chukwuemeka Nkemakonam
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.