VITAL Start: video program to help teens with HIV stick to treatment
Official title: VS4A: VITAL Start (Video-Intervention to Inspire Treatment Adherence for Life) for Adolescents, a video intervention to improve retention and adherence to ART among adolescents living with HIV
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-11380336 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Short, culturally relevant counseling films aim to help adolescents living with HIV stay in care and take their antiretroviral medicines more consistently.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 24, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $491,631 |
| NIH project number | 3UG1MD019436-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11380336 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents living with HIV who are attending participating clinics—especially teens on or starting antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income settings—are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not adolescents, who do not have HIV, or who cannot access participating clinics or video-facing services are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would watch short, culturally tailored films during clinic visits that explain HIV care, medication routines, and ways to handle challenges as a teen. The videos are designed to be shown in busy clinics so staff can deliver the same counseling to many patients while saving health worker time. The team will adapt the films for local settings in low- and middle-income countries, build on earlier pilot work, and work with clinics to roll the program out more widely. The project will track whether watching the videos improves keeping appointments, taking medicines, and lowering viral load.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more adolescents stay in care, take their HIV medicines regularly, and achieve viral suppression, reducing illness and deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier pilot work with this video approach showed high patient and clinician satisfaction and signs of improved knowledge, adherence, and retention, but larger-scale results are still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ahmed, Saeed — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Ahmed, Saeed
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.