Can a smartphone app and peer mentors boost HIV prevention for people leaving jail?

NCT ID NCT07433985

Prevention Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests a program called Mobile Enhanced Prevention Support (MEPS) for people recently released from jail or prison who have substance use disorders. The program pairs participants with a peer mentor, offers cash incentives for using health services, and provides a smartphone app to track goals. Researchers want to see if this approach increases HIV testing, PrEP use, and substance use treatment compared to usual care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Mobile Enhanced Prevention Support (MEPS) - a behavioral program with peer mentoring, cash incentives, and a smartphone app
What this could lead to: If successful, this could provide a proven way to help people leaving jail or prison get HIV prevention, testing, and substance use treatment.
What could go wrong: This is an early implementation study, not a large-scale efficacy trial. The results may not apply to all settings or populations.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 318 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2025

Expected to finish

Jul 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 59 years

Sex

Male participants only

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: RCT Participants * Assigned male at birth * Ages 18 - 59 * Was released from incarceration in the previous 12 months (incarceration is defined as a stay in jail, prison, or detention centers for over 24 hours) * Reports an SUD diagnosis or seeking SUD services at any time in the 24 months prior to enrollment * During the 24 months prior to enrollment, either: 1. Reports intercourse with a person assigned male at birth 2. Reports injection drug use * Has not received an HIV diagnosis (based on self-report) * Possesses a smartphone or plans to obtain one * Plans to reside within designated jurisdictions (counties) for the 9 months following enrollment CBO and agency staff participating in implementation surveys or interviews * \>=18 years of age * Employed at a study site or otherwise involved with intervention implementation and/or maintenance OR works at an agency in the counties where the study is taking place (Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Alameda counties, California). * Willing to provide informed consent for participation. Exclusion Criteria: RCT Participants: * Does not have a smart phone and is not willing to obtain one * Is not able to speak and understand English * Has insufficient reading skills to operate a mobile application on a cell phone CBO participating in implementation interviews \- n/a

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hepatitis C virus infection sexually transmitted disease substance-related disorder HIV infectious disease prevention target

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) HIV prevention Incarceration Preexposure prophylaxis (PREP) Sexually transmitted infections (STI) Substance use disorder (SUD)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

Open the record ↗
A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Can a smartphone app and peer mentors boost HIV prevention for people leaving jail?

What the study statuses mean