BACKGROUND
The HIV epidemic continues to disproportionately burden marginalized populations despite the availability of effective preventive and therapeutic interventions. Trans women are severely affected by HIV worldwide including in Brazil and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with evidence of increasing new infections among young people. There is an urgent need for youth-specific HIV prevention and care interventions for young trans women in Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
The Brilhar e Transcender (or BeT) study is a status-neutral HIV intervention with the following aims: (1) to address stigma in the Brazilian public health system, (2) to reduce barriers to HIV care and prevention with systems navigation among young trans women aged 18-24 years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
METHODS
BeT is a peer-led single arm digital intervention study enrolling 150 young trans women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The intervention was pilot tested and refined using data from a formative phase. The BeT intervention takes place over three months, is delivered remotely via mobile phone and in-person by peers is comprised of three components: 1) BeT sessions, 2) digital interactions, and 3) automatic messages. Eligibility includes those aged 18-24 years old, trans woman, Portuguese speaking, and lives in Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area in Brazil. The primary outcomes are HIV incidence, PrEP uptake, linkage to HIV care and viral suppression. Primary outcomes were assessed at baseline and quarterly for 12 months. Participants respond to interviewer-based surveys and receive HIV and sexually transmitted infections testing.
RESULTS
The study has been approved by the Brazilian and the US local institutional review boards in accordance with all applicable regulations. Study recruitment began in February 2022 and were completed on early July 2022. Plans are underway to complete the follow-up of study participants and to analyze study data and disseminate intervention results upon study completion.
CONCLUSIONS
Interventions to engage a new generation of trans women in HIV prevention and care are needed to curb the epidemic. The BeT study will evaluate a digital peer-led intervention for young trans women in Brazil that builds upon ways young people engage in systems and utilizes peer-led support to empower trans youth in self-care and health promotion. A promising evaluation of the BeT intervention may lead to availability of this rapidly scalable status-neutral HIV intervention that can be translated throughout Brazil and other LMICs for young trans women at high risk or living with HIV.
CLINICALTRIAL
NCT#05299645