Researchers at the University of Kentucky are taking an innovative approach to help a high-risk population by using easily accessible technology: an app on a smartphone.
Carolyn Lauckner, PhD, an assistant professor in behavioral sciences in the College of Medicine, is leading a study to better understand the link between HIV and alcohol use in young adult sexual minority men and transgender (SMMT) individuals aged 18-34, with the goal to reduce HIV risk behaviors. The CDC reports approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV with roughly 13% of them unaware and in need of testing. According to the Kentucky HIV/AIDS Annual Surveillance Report 2020, roughly 11,000 HIV infections were reported in the Commonwealth. Studies have found that alcohol use increases HIV risk behaviors, and HIV disproportionately affects this group.
Participants will meet with a counselor weekly. They will discuss triggers for drinking, strategies to address those triggers and set goals for reducing drinking. It’s part of Tracking and Reducing Alcohol Consumption (TRAC) intervention messaging that Lauckner developed and has used in other studies. In combination with that, participants will monitor their alcohol use and sexual behavior daily through an app on their phones. They will take surveys and use Bluetooth breathalyzers twice daily, which send breath alcohol data to researchers. The customized app also uses geotracking to monitor when participants go to what they’ve deemed risky locations for drinking. While there, the app will deliver intervention messages.