GODDESS project aims to enhance an HIV prevention app designed for young women

A multidisciplinary team will explore an innovative method for addressing HIV locally among young Black women

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, is leading GODDESS (Gathering Online for Dialogue and Discussion to Enhance Social Support) — a new study funded by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. RTI researchers will modify and test a mobile health (mHealth) HIV risk reduction intervention for young Black women in Durham and Wake counties in North Carolina.

The first phase of this five-year study will use feedback from focus groups to adapt an mHealth application that has previously shown high acceptability and favorable sexual risk reduction outcomes. Planned modifications include adding a virtual group component, gamification, and information about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

“I am very excited for the opportunity to add a virtual group component so that we can harness the strengths of group-based interventions while addressing certain barriers of in-person interventions, such as concerns of privacy and transportation,” said Felicia Browne, ScD, MPH, senior research social epidemiologist at RTI International and the study’s principal investigator.

GODDESS builds on decades of research of a best-evidence, woman-focused intervention that addresses intersecting health issues through education, skills-building, and empowerment.

“With disparities persisting for HIV, ensuring Black women have awareness and access to PrEP is critical for ending the HIV epidemic,” Browne said.

GODDESS aims to reach 500 young Black women in Durham and Wake Counties and will focus on risk behaviors and the promotion of women’s health, including the increase of PrEP utilization.

Learn more about RTI's Substance Use, Gender, and Applied Research (SUGAR) program