Virtual peer-support app to help young Black women reduce alcohol-related sexual risk and increase PrEP use in North Carolina
GODDESS (Gathering Online for Dialogue and Discussion to Enhance Social Support): Engaging young African American women in a virtual group app to address alcohol misuse, sexual risk, and PrEP in NC
This project uses a mobile app with virtual group sessions to help young Black women in North Carolina cut back on alcohol-related risky sex and increase use of HIV prevention (PrEP).
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Triangle Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Research Triangle Park, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11115880 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll use a mobile health app and take part in virtual group sessions where peers and trained facilitators talk about alcohol use, sexual safety, and PrEP. The program adapts a proven in-person intervention that has already shown benefits when delivered by phone or app. The study adds a group component because past participants requested more peer support and connection. The team works with local health departments to make the program practical and scalable across North Carolina.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are young African American/Black women in North Carolina who drink alcohol and are at risk for HIV through sexual exposure and are willing to use a smartphone app and join virtual groups.
Not a fit: People who are not in the target demographic (e.g., not young Black women, not in North Carolina), those already consistently using PrEP with no alcohol-related sexual risk, or those without smartphone/internet access are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce heavy drinking and impaired sex and lead to more young women starting and staying on PrEP, lowering HIV risk.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier versions delivered by mobile health matched face-to-face results and lowered heavy drinking and impaired sex, while adding a virtual peer-group element is a newer step being tested.
Where this research is happening
Research Triangle Park, United States
- Research Triangle Institute — Research Triangle Park, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Browne, Felicia Amira — Research Triangle Institute
- Study coordinator: Browne, Felicia Amira
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.