Translation of basic research in cognitive science to HIV-risk: a randomized controlled trial

• Published in: Journal of behavioral medicine Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 440 - 451
• Main Authors: Stacy, Alan W., Nydegger, Liesl A., Shono, Yusuke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude to Health; Brief interventions; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Science; Condoms; Condoms - statistics & numerical data; Demographic aspects; Diversion programs; Drug abuse; Drug addicts; Drug diversion; Evidence based research; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Health aspects; Health education; Health Education - methods; Health Psychology; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B - prevention & control; Hepatitis C - prevention & control; HIV; HIV infection; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infections; Male; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Memory; Prevention; Prevention programs; Preventive medicine; Risk factors; Safe Sex - statistics & numerical data; Self report; Sex education; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Translation; United States; HIV/AIDS; Condom use; Hepatitis; Screening; Cognitive science
• ISSN: 0160-7715; 1573-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s10865-018-9999-3

Many people enrolled in drug diversion programs are not receiving evidence-based prevention for HIV or hepatitis. This study translated basic research from cognitive science to increase screening for infection and condom use in this population. A parallel three-condition randomized trial was conducted in a drug diversion sample (N = 358), comparing a memory practice condition with two active control conditions. Outcomes were condom use frequency and testing for infection (hepatitis B/C, HIV). At 3-month follow-up, participants in the memory practice condition were at least twice as likely (OR = 2.10 or greater, p  < .01) to self-report testing compared to those in the control conditions and also reported more frequent condom use compared to a health education condition [B = .37, t (1) = 2.02, p  = .02]. Basic research on memory can be effectively translated to brief interventions on infection screening and risk prevention in existing drug diversion programs.