Award
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5R01AA030452-05
GODDESS (Gathering Online for Dialogue and Discussion to Enhance Social Support): Engaging young African American women in a virtual group app to address alcohol misuse, sexual risk, and PrEP in NC
Recipient
Research Triangle Institute
Award Amount
$624,349.00
Ceiling
$624,349.00
Awarded
June 19, 2026
Identifier
5R01AA030452-05
This award funds a research project to test a virtual peer support group via smartphones to reduce alcohol misuse, sexual risk, and increase PrEP uptake among young African American women in North Carolina.
Description
The proposed research aims to prevent HIV among young women who misuse alcohol in the U.S. South by testing a virtual peer support group accessible via smartphones. The study builds on evidence-based interventions delivered via mobile health (mHealth) to reduce alcohol use, sexual risk, and increase PrEP uptake. It involves modifying an existing intervention to include a virtual group component, testing it in a randomized trial with 500 young Black women aged 18-30 across two North Carolina counties, and assessing acceptability, engagement, and cost.