Social Norms and Priming to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Retention in Care

Pilot Study of a Multi-Pronged Intervention Using Social Norms and Priming to Improve Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Retention in Care Among Adults Living With HIV in Tanzania

Interventions incorporating constructs from behavioral economics and psychology have the potential to enhance HIV 'treatment as prevention' (TasP) strategies. To test this hypothesis, the investigators evaluated a combination intervention to improve antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence based on the concepts of social norms and priming.

The investigators conducted a quasi-experimental pilot study of a combination behavioral intervention based on the concepts of social norms and priming. The intervention included visual feedback about clinic-level retention in care, a self-relevant prime, and useful take-home items with the priming image. The intervention was developed using tools from marketing research and patient-centered design. The hypothesis was that the intervention would improve retention in care and adherence to ART among patients living with HIV infection (PLHIV). The intervention was implemented at two HIV primary clinics in Shinyanga, Tanzania in 2-week intervals for six months. The investigators reviewed medical records of a random sample of exposed and unexposed adult PLHIV to compare retention and the proportion of patients with medication possession ratio (MPR) ≥95% after six months.

Patients in this arm may have been exposed to the behavioral intervention, which included the following components: 1) visual feedback about clinic-level retention in care through an interactive poster; 2) a self-relevant priming image that appeared on all components; and 3) a take-home item (i.e., pillbox or calendar) with the priming image.

The intervention includes a clinic-based component and a take-home component. All components include the priming image of a Baobab tree. The clinic-based component is an interactive poster that rewarded appointment attendance. Patients who attend three consecutive on-time visits are congratulated and given a colored sticker to place on a poster that is publicly displayed at the clinic. In one clinic, the take-home component is a 2015 calendar in Kiswahili that contained the priming Baobab image. In the other clinic, the take-home component is a small plastic pillbox featuring the Baobab logo.

This measure of retention in care accounts for variability in visit scheduling by individual providers and therefore uses a window period of 150-210 days to determine whether the patient was in care at 6 months

Inclusion Criteria: At least 18 years of age Living with HIV infection Receiving HIV primary care at one of the two study clinics

McCoy SI, Fahey C, Rao A, Kapologwe N, Njau PF, Bautista-Arredondo S. Pilot study of a multi-pronged intervention using social norms and priming to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and retention in care among adults living with HIV in Tanzania. PLoS One. 2017 May 9;12(5):e0177394. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177394. eCollection 2017.