M-Suubi: A Multi-level integrated intervention to reduce the impact of HIV stigma on HIV treatment outcomes among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda
Principal Investigator: Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD; Massy Mutumba, PhD (University of Michigan)
Study Team: Proscovia Nabunya, PhD; Ozge Sensoy Bahar, PhD; Shenyang Guo, PhD; Yesim Tozan PhD (New York University); Torsten Neilands, PhD (University of California San Francisco)
Study Coordinators: Rashida Namirembe, MSW; Jennifer Nattabi, MSW
Research Collaborators: Abel Mwebembezi, PhD; (Reach the Youth-Uganda); Barbara Mukasa, MBChB (Mildmay-Uganda); James Mugisha, PhD (Makerere University)
Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), M-Suubi (R01MH126892) is a five-year study (2021- 2026) that examines the impact of a multilevel intervention combining group-based HIV stigma reduction training for educators and multiple family groups for HIV stigma reduction with a family economic empowerment intervention on HIV treatment adherence and engagement in care among Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) attending boarding schools in Uganda. The study will enroll 840 ALHIV recruited from 42 schools in the greater Masaka region, a region heavily affected by HIV. M-Suubi will be provided for 20 months, with assessments at baseline, 12, 24, and 36 months. Findings may inform combination intervention efforts to optimize HIV treatment outcomes and engagement in care among ALHIV.
Mutumba M, Ssewamala F, Namirembe R, Sensoy Bahar O, Nabunya P, Neilands T, Tozan Y, Namuwonge F, Nattabi J, Acayo Laker P, Mukasa B, Mwebembezi A. A Multilevel Integrated Intervention to Reduce the Impact of HIV Stigma on HIV Treatment Outcomes Among Adolescents Living With HIV in Uganda: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2022 Oct 5;11(10): e40101. doi: 10.2196/40101. JMIR Publications