Stress-management program to reduce heart disease risk in women with HIV

Adapting and Piloting a Stress Management Intervention to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Women Living With HIV

NA · University of Alabama at Birmingham · NCT06811896

This program will test whether the SMART stress-management intervention can lower blood pressure and other heart-disease risks for women living with HIV in the Southern US.

Quick facts

PhaseNA
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment48 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexFemale
SponsorUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham (other)
Locations1 site (Birmingham, Alabama)
Trial IDNCT06811896 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

The project adapts the Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program for cisgender women living with HIV who receive care at a clinic in the Southern US and compares that intervention to usual care. Participants who meet eligibility will be enrolled at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and assigned to receive the SMART intervention or continue with usual care while researchers collect health and stress-related measures. The intervention focuses on resiliency skills, meditation, and techniques to reduce physiological stress responses known to contribute to cardiovascular disease. Outcomes include blood pressure and other markers of cardiovascular risk and stress over the follow-up period.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are English-speaking cisgender women aged 18 or older who are HIV-positive, receive care at the recruiting clinic, and are willing and able to attend study visits and provide consent.

Not a fit: People with severe mental illness, those unwilling or unable to provide informed consent or attend study visits, non-English speakers, and men would not be expected to benefit from this specific program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower blood pressure and reduce long-term cardiovascular risk by improving stress resilience.

How similar studies have performed: The SMART program has demonstrated efficacy in diverse populations for reducing stress responses, but it has not previously been adapted or tested specifically among women living with HIV in the Southern US.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. cis-gender females at least 18 years of age
2. HIV-seropositive and a patient of the recruiting clinic
3. English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

1. severe mental illness
2. not being willing able to provide informed consent
3. not willing or able to attend study visits

Where this trial is running

Birmingham, Alabama

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.

View on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Conditions: Stress, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Diseases, stress, resiliency, meditation, blood pressure, cardiovascular risk

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.