A Pilot Peer Mentor Intervention That Trains Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (BMSM) to Use and Promote Uptake of HIV/STI Self-Testing to Peers and Sex Partners: STAR Study (Self-Testing at Your Residence) (STAR)

A Pilot Peer Mentor Intervention That Trains Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (BMSM) to Use and Promote Uptake of HIV/STI Self-Testing to Peers and Sex Partners: STAR Study (Self-Testing at Your Residence)

The objectives of the study are to assess the feasibility, reach and preliminary efficacy of a brief intervention that trains Black men who have sex with men [referred to as Index] (a) to use home-based testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and (b) promote home-based testing to their peers and sexual partners.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase one's risk of HIV infection, are serious co-infections that affect HIV clinical outcomes, and remain a risk for individuals using PrEP. Self-testing methods address barriers to clinic-based testing by offering convenience and privacy and have been shown to be well accepted by MSM. Therefore, use of self-testing is a potential approach through which to improve HIV and STI testing rates in MSM. Internet-based distribution (herein: web-based) of STI self-test kits enables an individual to request sampling kits via a website, mail biological specimens (e.g. urethral swabs) to a laboratory for testing, and view test results through a web-based account. Web-based self-HIV oral testing enables an individual to request a test kit, collect an oral specimen, and receive results within 20 minutes. Despite these potential benefits and reports of willingness to use free self-testing, uptake has been low due to barriers such as concerns about accuracy of the tests, apprehension to collect specimens, low risk perception, and the desire for counseling. In the proposed study, investigators will pilot test an intervention that address these barriers by training BMSM with information about the accuracy of the HIV rapid oral test kit, demonstrating how to properly collect specimens for HIV and STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis) self-testing, and providing resources for linkage to HIV and STI treatment and PrEP services. Study participants will utilize a secure website to request test kits.

Peer Mentor Training is 5 groups with a 30 day reunion session. This condition is focused on training participants with communication skills to promote HIV and STI home-based testing and treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to individuals in their social networks. Participants will also learn how to use the Star website to request home-based testing kits. Peer Mentor training is conducted by a two health educators. The sessions are held once a week and will last approximately 90 minutes.

Participants will be trained to be Peer Mentors and promote home-based testing to their social network

Participants will be given instructions on how to use the project website to request kits to test for HIV at home and collect specimens for lab testing.

Session attendance will be calculated as the ratio of number of sessions attended divided by the total number of sessions. We will consider greater than 80% attendance to indicate feasibility

Inclusion Criteria: self-report male sex condomless anal sex with >1 male in the prior 6 months self-report Black race aged 17 to 45 internet use at least once a week. Exclusion Criteria: younger than 17 or older than 45 years

Investigators will share data in a way that will protect participant confidentiality. Within 12 months of publication of the primary papers for this study, a dataset of aggregate values will be made available. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the data collected and the characteristics of this often stigmatized population, no client-level data will be shared until the entire cohort is accrued and completed, even that which is de-identified; this will reduce the risk of small numbers resulting in deductive identification.

Winiker AK, Tobin KE, Davey-Rothwell M, Latkin C. An examination of grit in black men who have sex with men and associations with health and social outcomes. J Community Psychol. 2019 Jun;47(5):1095-1104. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22176. Epub 2019 Mar 1.