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NIH is used your taxes in 2023 to study transgender women in Thailand, RandoLand.us reports

January 15, 2025 | | Print Article

The American government truly has wasting taxpayer dollars down to a science, but some of the ways they’ve decided to blow your hard-earned money are shocking.

X account “RandoLand.us” has made a name for itself by revealing the infuriating ways the government is spending money, and a recent post will have you racking your brain for any plausible justification.

Look:

According to the post, the National Institutes of Health gave the University of Massachusetts Medical School $677,804 in 2023 to help transgender women in Thailand, who “are among the fastest growing HIV+ populations worldwide.”

If only we were kidding.

“Transgender women (TGW), particularly young TGW (ages 18-29), are among the fastest growing HIV+ populations worldwide with HIV prevalence rates of 15-28%. Thailand has the highest adult HIV seroprevalence in Asia, with high prevalence rates of HIV infection among TGW (18%),” the account wrote. “Despite their risk, few interventions have targeted young TGW. Effective developmentally- and culturally-tailored interventions are needed to prevent HIV transmission in this high-risk population.”

“Widespread technology offers opportunities for innovative mobile (MHEALTH) interventions. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) is an efficacious HIV prevention strategy recommended by the CDC and who for at-risk individuals, including HIV-negative TGW,” the message continues. “PREP is highly effective when taken as prescribed, but PREP uptake and adherence have been low, with high discontinuation rates among TGW. To address these challenges, we propose to develop and pilot a multi-component, technology-based intervention to promote PREP usage.”

The solution? A “motivational enhancement system” to encourage the use of potentially life-saving prophylactics:

We will adapt an existing two-session, technology-delivered, motivational interviewing intervention to focus on PREP use in young Thai TGW, resulting in the motivational enhancement system for PREP uptake and adherence (MES-PREP).

We will also refine and enhance “YaCool,” a mobile app with integrated text messaging developed and used clinically by our Thai team, to develop “enhanced YaCool” for TGW self-management of gender/sexual health (including PREP).

Our primary aim is to develop and assess preliminary efficacy of the resulting MHEALTH intervention. We will utilize a multiphase optimization strategy (most) to identify the most effective intervention component or combination of components to address PREP usage in this population.

The post then goes into the logistics of the study and how they intend to test their new app.

“The proposed study includes 2 phases corresponding to the R21 and R33 study periods. Phase IA (R21) includes qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to explore barriers and facilitators of PREP usage through thematic analysis to inform intervention adaptation. Phase IB (R21) consists of adapting and beta testing of MES-PREP and enhanced YaCool for functionality and feasibility using a community advisory board of HIV-negative Thai TGW,” it reads. “In phase II (R33), we will conduct a most design-based trial to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of MES-PREP and YaCool.”

“Eighty HIV-negative young TGW who are on PREP and 80 young TGW who are not starting PREP will be randomized to four experimental conditions: 1) standard PREP counseling (SPC, control), 2) MES-PREP + SPC, 3) enhanced YaCool + SPC, and 4) MES-PREP + enhanced YaCool + SPC,” the explanation continues. “Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be assessed through usage patterns and the system usability scale. Preliminary impact will be assessed by evaluating the proportion of PREP initiation and level of adherence to PREP.”

“TGW will complete assessments at baseline and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-intervention. Biomarkers of adherence to PREP and HIV/STI will be collected. Upon project completion, we will have an optimized MHEALTH intervention to support TGW using PREP which will be ready for testing in a larger efficacy trial,” the post concludes.

The user made a follow-up post regarding the additional $664,382 that was granted to the university for ” Optimizing mobile interventions to overcome stigma and promote HIV prevention among Thai young transgender women.”

Needless to say, Americans have some questions, comments and concerns:

Sierra Marlee
Latest posts by Sierra Marlee (see all)

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