{Reference Type}: Randomized Controlled Trial
{Title}: Long-Term Effects of Incentives for HIV Viral Suppression: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
{Author}: Novak MD;Holtyn AF;Toegel F;Rodewald AM;Leoutsakos JM;Fingerhood M;Silverman K;
{Journal}: AIDS Behav
{Volume}: 28
{Issue}: 2
{Year}: 2024 Feb 20
{Factor}: 4.852
{DOI}: 10.1007/s10461-023-04249-z
{Abstract}: Achieving viral suppression in people living with HIV improves their quality of life and can help end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, few interventions have successfully promoted HIV viral suppression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of financial incentives for viral suppression in people living with HIV. People living with a detectable HIV viral load (≥ 200 copies/mL) were randomly assigned to Usual Care (n = 50) or Incentive (n = 52) groups. Incentive participants earned up to $10 per day for providing blood samples with an undetectable or reduced viral load. During the 2-year intervention period, the percentage of blood samples with a suppressed viral load was significantly higher among Incentive participants (70%) than Usual Care participants (43%) (OR = 7.1, 95% CI 2.7 to 18.8, p < .001). This effect did not maintain after incentives were discontinued. These findings suggest that frequent delivery of large-magnitude financial incentives for viral suppression can produce large and long-lasting improvements in viral load in people living with HIV. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02363387.