Smart Couples project – Couple-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence intervention for people who inject drugs in Kazakhstan (2019 – 2023)
Funding: National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Grant amount: 180’652 USD
The project goal: To develop a couples-based intervention to improve HIV medication adherence among HIV-positive people who inject drugs, which should increase viral suppression and reduce transmission of HIV.
Project Description: The project developed a couple’s program to improve adherence to HIV treatment among HIV-positive people who inject drugs. The program included social support skills training, use of electronic pill boxes and an integrated smartphone app to improve adherence to ART to increase viral suppression and reduce HIV transmission. The study evaluated the effectiveness of the intervention and its potential to improve ART adherence among people living with HIV who inject drugs. 128 participants were included in the study, 64 were enrolled in the intervention in Almaty.
The project results: The dyad-based intervention significantly increased self-reported ART adherence among PWID with partners with HIV, indicating the importance of considering dyad-level factors in interventions.
Publications:
- Implementation of a Dyad-Based Intervention to Improve Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among HIV-Positive People Who Inject Drugs in Kazakhstan: A Randomized Trial (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37576461/);
- If You Build It, Will They Use It? Preferences for Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence Monitoring Among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Kazakhstan (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30741397/).
- Neuenschwander P, Altice FL, Remien RH, Mergenova G, Sarsembayeva L, Rozental E, Gulyayev V, Davis A. A qualitative dyad analysis of barriers and facilitators of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people who inject drugs (PWID) with HIV in Kazakhstan. AIDS Care. 2024 Oct 15:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2024.2414078. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39404196.