Project SPACE: A Micro-Randomized Trial of Daily Text Messages to Reduce Alcohol Use and HIV Risk Behavior

Part of paid clinical trials in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sponsor: Emory University
Study ID: NCT07769580
Status: Not Yet Recruiting

Notify me when recruiting opens

Save your spot on the interest list for this study. We'll keep your details with this study so our team can follow up when recruiting opens.

Not yet recruiting

Add your contact details and location so we can keep your interest tied to this study.

Conditions

Alcohol Abuse
HIV
Risk Behavior

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: MALE
Age: 18 Years - 30 Years
Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

CLT- Concrete text messages — BEHAVIORAL
On participant-days assigned to this condition, participants will receive interactive CLT-concrete ('how'-based) text messages will involve asking participants questions about their alcohol use and sexual behaviors. Participants will receive 3 how-based questions related to alcohol and 3 how-based questions related to sexual behaviors (for a total of 6 questions). The messages will prompt participants to think concretely about actions and strategies related to reducing alcohol-related and sexual health risks.
CLT- Abstract text messages — BEHAVIORAL
On participant-days assigned to this condition, participants will receive interactive CLT-abstract ('why'-based) text messages will involve asking participants questions about their alcohol use and sexual behaviors. Participants will receive 3 why-based questions related to alcohol and 3 why-based questions related to sexual behaviors (for a total of 6 questions). The messages will prompt participants to think abstractly about their reasons, values, and broader goals related to reducing alcohol-related and sexual-health risks.
Control messages — BEHAVIORAL
On participant-days assigned to this condition, participants will receive interactive neutral messages will follow the same structure as intervention texts (CLT-texts), daily for 8 weeks, with having an initial question with 2 follow-up questions (i.e., 3 total questions). Control texts will be neutral (e.g., fun fact). Control messages will help enhance study rigor and rule out confounding due to any potential assessment reactivity to texts.
No messages — BEHAVIORAL
On participant-days assigned to this condition, no afternoon intervention message will be delivered. Participants will continue to receive the regularly scheduled morning assessment. Participants in this condition will previously have received the common baseline GamePlan program, as will all other participants.
GamePlan Online Program — BEHAVIORAL
Following the baseline assessment and before beginning the 8-week text-messaging period, all participants will complete GamePlan, a brief online sexual-health program lasting approximately 15-20 minutes. GamePlan provides personalized feedback and activities intended to help participants reflect on their sexual choices and consider whether they wish to make changes. GamePlan is administered to all participants and is not a randomized intervention component in this study. Its independent effect will not be evaluated.

Study Details

Project SPACE is a micro-randomized trial evaluating the proximal effects theory-based text messages on alcohol use and sexual HIV risk behaviors among HIV-negative young adult men at the day-level. At baseline, all participants will complete GamePlan, an existing brief online sexual health program. During the subsequent 8-week intervention period, participants will complete a brief morning assessment of the preceding day and will be randomized each afternoon, with equal probability, to receive concrete ("how"), abstract ("why"), neutral control, or no afternoon intervention messages. Participants will also complete pre- and post-intervention measures. The effects of GamePlan are not being separately evaluated in this study.

Key Dates

First listed: Aug 18, 2026
Start date: Feb 28, 2027
Status verified: Aug 2026
Primary completion: Dec 31, 2027
Completion: Dec 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment: 240 participants (estimated)
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Arms

Experimental: GamePlan and Daily Micro-Randomized Texts for 8 weeks Arm
All participants will complete a baseline assessment followed by GamePlan, an online sexual-health program. Participants will then complete an 8-week daily text-messaging protocol. Texts will be delivered from an automated computerized system. Each day of the 8-week texting intervention period, there will be 2 sets of texts: morning and afternoon. Each morning, participants will receive questions about their behaviors the preceding day, including alcohol use, sexual behaviors (e.g., type of sexual activity, partner type). In the afternoons, participants will be micro-randomized every day for 8 weeks to receive a series of (1) CLT-concrete text messages; (2) CLT-abstract text messages; (3) control messages; or (4) no messages. Each afternoon, there will be a 25% chance of receiving one of the 4 afternoon conditions. Randomization on any given day will be independent of previous texts. Participants will complete baseline and post-intervention assessments.