AzTrials
AzTrials

Mental Health IssueNCT05219552

Healthy Mothers: an Intervention to Support Perinatal Women Living With HIV in Kenya

A study testing personalized lactation support in people with Mental Health Issue and Hiv, run by University of California, San Francisco at 2 sites in Kenya.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The investigators will recruit 40 pregnant women living with HIV divided into 2 groups (n=20 intervention group, n=20 control group). The intervention group will receive personalized lactation support and monthly unconditional cash transfers (100USD/month) from approximately 30 weeks pregnancy to approximately… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Mental Health Issue, Hiv, Breastfeeding, Exclusive
What is being tested?
personalized lactation support
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
40 participants
Where
2 sitesKenya
Study dates
23 Feb 2022to 9 Mar 2023
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 20-35 weeks pregnant
  • Living with HIV
  • Currently prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART)

Who cannot join

  • High-risk pregnancy for reasons other than HIV status (e.g., pregnancy complications, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm labor)
  • Self-reported participation in another ART adherence-related intervention study
  • Unable to understand consent process
  • Planning on relocating out of Nyanza province within 12 months.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Kenya2 sites
  • Kisumu County Hospital

    Kisumu

  • Lumumba Sub-county Hospital

    Kisumu

Other trials in Kenya

About this study

Official title: Understanding the Role of Food Insecurity and Depression in Non-adherence to Option B+ Among Perinatal Kenyan Women Living With HIV: A Syndemics Approach

The investigators will recruit 40 pregnant women living with HIV divided into 2 groups (n=20 intervention group, n=20 control group). The intervention group will receive personalized lactation support and monthly unconditional cash transfers (100USD/month) from approximately 30 weeks pregnancy to approximately 6-months postpartum. The control group will receive the current standard care.

Read the detailed description

In Phase One of this study, the investigators identified perceived or actual milk insufficiency, as primary barrier to exclusive breastfeeding not addressed through the current education and support being provided at the clinic. Furthermore, the investigators identified financial insecurity as a deeply-rooted threat to the health and well-being of perinatal women living with HIV and their infants across time. Based on findings from the longitudinal qualitative study, key informant interviews, focus groups with the target population and a review of the literature, the investigators developed an intervention which will be pilot tested to determine the potential impact of providing individualized support from a local lactation specialist along with monthly unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) to women living with HIV from 20-35 weeks pregnancy to 6-months postpartum.

The pilot test will be carried out among 40 pregnant women divided into 2 groups (n=20 intervention group, n=20 control group). The intervention group will receive personalized lactation support and monthly UCTs from approximately 30 weeks pregnancy to approximately 6-months postpartum. Personalized lactation support will be provided by a local, experienced lactation consultant. The support will be aimed at providing person centered care to assess for and address barriers to optimal, safe infant feeding with a focus on exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6-months postpartum. The cash transfer will be 10,000 Kenyan shillings per month. This amount is slightly less than the median amount participants in the preliminary study reported needing to meet their basic needs (13,500 Kenyan shillings) and is in line with other cash transfers completed in the area. This amount is equivalent to approximately 3.33 USD per day, or about 40% more than the World Bank's most recent poverty line estimate of 1.90 USD per person per day. This amount is lower than the estimated median monthly income for those informally employed in sectors such as retail trade or food service in Kenya (estimated at 15,000 and 30,000 Kenyan shillings monthly in rural and urban areas respectively). The investigators expect this amount will allow participants to meet many basic needs during late pregnancy and throughout the period of exclusive breastfeeding when women are largely unable to maintain gainful employment.

The control group will receive the current standard care.

The investigators will recruit women during their 20th-35th week of pregnancy and follow participants until 6-months postpartum. Survey and clinical data will be collected at baseline (20-35 weeks pregnancy), 2-weeks, 4-weeks, 6-weeks, 3-months and 6-months. Qualitative interviews will be conducted at the end of the intervention period with all 20 participants in the intervention group to evaluate the acceptability of the pilot intervention as well as to better understand how UCTs were used and the perceived impact on financial security, food security, mental health, relationships with primary partners and the ability to adhere to the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV strategies.

Being tested
personalized lactation support
Keywords
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT), exclusive breastfeeding, Women Living with HIV (WLWH), financial insecurity, food insecurity
Medical subject headings
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Breast Feeding

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • personalized lactation supportBehavioural

    Also called unconditional cash transfers

    Our intervention design aims to address food insecurity and mental health by providing an unconditional cash transfer and lactation support across the perinatal period, when women are out of the workforce caring for their infant child. The study will include pregnant women living with HIV in Kisumu Kenya. The lactation support component will focus on milk insufficiency primarily as that has been a main concern of women we've worked with in this population, in addition to general breastfeeding support which will all be delivered in one-on-one sessions with a professional lactation consultant. The cash transfer will be delivered to women from their third trimester to 6 months postpartum. The amount of the cash transfer is based on preliminary data and consultation with key stakeholders to determine a reasonable and sufficient amount to basic living expenses during this period.

Study groups in NCT05219552
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intervention group- lactation support and unconditional cash transfersExperimentalWomen in this arm will receive personal lactation support from a professional lactation specialist at 5 time points: pregnancy and at 2-weeks, 4-weeks, 6-weeks and 3-months postpartum. Women in the intervention group will also receive monthly unconditional cash transfers of 10,000 Kenyan shillings sent directly to a a mobile phone-based money transfer service accounts associated with their personal cell phone.
Receives: Behavioral: personalized lactation support
Control group- standard careNo interventionThe women enrolled in the control arm will receive standard care at a clinic similar to, but distinct from, the intervention site.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Maternal Mental Health

    Patient Health Questionnaire-9: scoring ranges from 0-27 with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptoms.

    Measured: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  2. Number of Participants Who Reported Feeding Breastmilk Only

    Breast feeding behavior questionnaires where participants were asked, "What are you currently feeding your baby". The count of participants is the number of participants who selected, "breastmilk only".

    Measured: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks postpartum

  3. Number of Participants Who Acknowledge Missing One or More HIV Infant Medications

    Questionnaire on adherence to infant HIV prophylaxis- participant count is the number of participants who acknowledged missing one more more dose of their infant's HIV medications (collected at 6 weeks and 6 months).

    Measured: 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  4. Maternal Adherence to HIV Medications

    Questionnaire on Maternal Adherence to HIV medications- the reported data comes from a visual analog scale where participants were instructed, "Please point or mark at the point showing how much of your ARVs you have taken in the past 30 days."

    Measured: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  5. Food Security

    Household Food Insecurity Access scale: scoring ranges from 0-27 with higher scores indicating greater food insecurity.

    Measured: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  6. Financial Security

    These data were collected qualitatively using in depth exit interviews with intervention only participants to better understand how the cash transfer was used, what changes resulted in their lives related to increased financial security due to the cash transfer.

    Measured: 7 months

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Relationships Status

    Couples satisfaction Index: scoring ranges from 0-81 with higher scores indicating greater relationship satisfaction.

    Measured: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  2. Women's Empowerment

    Select questions from the Demographic Health Survey-"Who usually decides how the money you earn will be used: mainly you, mainly your husband/partner, or you and your husband/partner jointly?" and a series of questions asking if the participants current partner has been verbally, physically and/or sexually abusive over the preceding 12 months.

    Measured: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  3. HIV-related Stigma

    12-item HIV stigma scale: scoring ranges from 12-48 higher scores reflect a higher level of perceived HIV-related stigma.

    Measured: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

  4. Social Support

    Duke-University of North Carolina Functional Social Support Questionnaire: scoring ranges from 8-40 with higher values indicating greater social support

    Measured: 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted2 Feb 2022
  2. Study start23 Feb 2022
  3. Primary completion9 Mar 2023
  4. Study completion9 Mar 2023

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
20 participants recruited to the intervention group at one clinic. 20 participants simultaneously recruited to a control group at a different (but matched) clinic.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
40 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05219552
Sponsor's protocol ID
K23MH116807
Other IDs
K23MH116807
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
20 Dec 2021
Last updated
14 Aug 2025
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Tuthill EL, Maltby AE, Odhiambo BC, Akama E, Pellowski JA, Cohen CR, Weiser SD, Conroy AA. "I Found Out I was Pregnant, and I Started Feeling Stressed": A Longitudinal Qualitative Perspective of Mental Health Experiences Among Perinatal Women Living with HIV. AIDS Behav. 2021 Dec;25(12):4154-4168. doi: 10.1007/s10461-021-03283-z. Epub 2021 May 16.

    PubMed 33997940
  • Haushofer J, Shapiro J. THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF UNCONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFERS TO THE POOR: EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE FROM KENYA. Q J Econ. 2016 Nov;131(4):1973-2042. doi: 10.1093/qje/qjw025. Epub 2016 Jul 19.

    PubMed 33087990
  • Maltby AE, Odhiambo BC, Nyaura M, Shikari R, Tuthill EL. Feasibility, acceptability and lessons learned from an infant feeding intervention trial among women living with HIV in western Kenya. BMC Public Health. 2023 Oct 5;23(1):1930. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16794-2.

    PubMed 37798696
  • Tuthill EL, Maltby AE, Odhiambo BC, Hoffmann TJ, Nyaura M, Shikari R, Cohen CR, Weiser SD. "It has changed my life": unconditional cash transfers and personalized infant feeding support- a feasibility intervention trial among women living with HIV in western Kenya. Int Breastfeed J. 2023 Nov 27;18(1):64. doi: 10.1186/s13006-023-00600-1.

    PubMed 38012644

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing personalized lactation support in people with Mental Health Issue and Hiv, run by University of California, San Francisco at 2 sites in Kenya.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Kenya. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 14 Aug 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Maternal Mental Health (time frame: baseline (20-35 weeks pregnant), 6-weeks postpartum and 6-months postpartum). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05219552, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Aug 2025.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in