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Behavioral Intervention

Text Messaging for HIV Testing

N/A
Recruiting
Research Sponsored by Northwestern University
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
male identified or male sex at birth
13-18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up through study completion, an average of 9 months, 3-months post-intervention, 6-months post-intervention
Awards & highlights

Summary

This trial will investigate if sending text messages can encourage HIV testing among adolescent sexual minority men and transgender and gender diverse teens. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive text message intervention or information only. The

Who is the study for?
This trial is for male teens aged 13-18 who identify as part of the sexual and gender minority (SGM) community or are questioning their sexuality, have had penetrative sex with a partner assigned male at birth in the past year, can read English at an 8th-grade level, are HIV negative or unsure of their status, own a cell phone with unlimited texting, and live in the U.S. Cisgender heterosexual males who've had male partners may also qualify.
What is being tested?
The study is testing if text messages can help encourage SGM teens to get tested for HIV. Participants will be randomly placed into two groups: one receives texts designed to inform, motivate and build skills related to HIV testing; the other gets only information texts. The main goal is to see if these messages increase actual HIV testing.
What are the potential side effects?
There are no direct medical side effects from participating in this trial since it involves receiving informational text messages rather than medication or medical procedures.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
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I am male or was assigned male at birth.
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I am between 13 and 18 years old.
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I have had penetrative sex with male partners in the last year.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~through study completion, an average of 9 months, 3-months post-intervention, 6-months post-intervention
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and through study completion, an average of 9 months, 3-months post-intervention, 6-months post-intervention for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
HIV/STI testing
Most recent HIV test
Objective proof of HIV testing
Secondary study objectives
Currently taking PrEP
Ever taken PrEP
Lifetime STI testing
+2 more

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
Group I: Information, motivation, behavioral skills treatment armExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The active treatment arm consists of text messages with information, motivation, and behavioral skill based text messages aimed at increasing HIV testing, our primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include STI testing, PrEP uptake, condomless sex, and discussions with providers about PrEP/HIV care. Hypothesized mediators of HIV testing include testing/prevention information, motivation, and behavioral skills. All participants will receive 8-10 messages/day for 6 weeks, with a 1 week booster session following the intervention. In the active treatment arm, participants will have full access to interactive features such as quizzes, badges, an external chatbot feature, a website with sexual health resources, and a group chat feature (a group of 3-4 total participants with whom participants can discuss program content) to promote engagement and enhance learning and skills acquisition.
Group II: Information only controlPlacebo Group1 Intervention
The attention matched control arm will include information based text messages about general health and sexual health topics such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), relationships, and biomedical methods of HIV prevention (e.g., Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)). No motivational or behavioral skill based text messages aimed at increasing HIV testing or reducing HIV risk behavior will be included. All participants will receive 8-10 messages/day for 6 weeks, with a 1 week booster. Participants in the control arm will have modified access to the interactive features such as quizzes, badges, an external chatbot feature, a website with sexual health resources and a group chat feature (a group of 3-4 total participants with whom participants can discuss program content).

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Northwestern UniversityLead Sponsor
1,625 Previous Clinical Trials
936,929 Total Patients Enrolled
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)NIH
2,869 Previous Clinical Trials
2,777,176 Total Patients Enrolled
~240 spots leftby Oct 2025
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