HIV017744SNCT06186128
Universal Basic Income and Structural Racism in the US South: HIV Care
A study testing Universal Basic Income in people with HIV and Health Care Utilization, run by University of Arkansas at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a promising strategy aimed at recalibrating economic systems that are grounded in structural racism. Black men have long been the target of oppressive and interconnected systems of finance and healthcare access, leading to a disproportionate burden of exposure to infectious disease with… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 25 years and older, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- HIV, Health Care Utilization
- What is being tested?
- Universal Basic Income
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 3 Aug 2023to 31 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 25 years and older
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- be at least 25 years old;
- self-report as having received from a medical professional a diagnosis for HIV;
- have an annual income up to 400% of the federal poverty threshold (the 2023 federal poverty threshold is defined as an annual income of less than $14,580 for single adults) in the 12-month period prior to study enrollment;
- be able to understand and speak English and to provide written and verbal informed consent;
- plan to remain in the central Arkansas area for the duration of the study period;
- be willing and able to provide weekly information about all activities related to seeking employment and to share financial and income-related information with the study team;
Show all 10Show fewer
- self-identify as Black or African American;
- have been assigned the male gender at birth;
- be willing to provide medical releases to allow project staff to access healthcare records, and
- in need of HIV care services (defined as having a detectable viral load meaning >200 copies/mL on most recent viral load test or not having attended a HIV medical care visit in the past 6 months, excluding any visits to the emergency department or rooms or urgent care clinics)
Who cannot join
- -
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas, 72204
Ashley E Williams, MS, 501-526-4893, AEWilliams@uams.edu
About this study
Official title: Universal Basic Income and Structural Racism in the US South: Differences in HIV Care Utilization Between Low-income African American Men Living With HIV
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a promising strategy aimed at recalibrating economic systems that are grounded in structural racism. Black men have long been the target of oppressive and interconnected systems of finance and healthcare access, leading to a disproportionate burden of exposure to infectious disease with little healthcare support. Yet to our knowledge, no published UBI studies have ever been implemented exclusively with Black men living with HIV in the US. Motivated and inspired by the innovative health and social science being conducted in extremely resource-limited environments in other parts of the world, we recognize an urgent need to better understand the effect of cash transfers on HIV care among Black men in the US South. The proposed study will be based in Arkansas, which, like other Southern states, has a long history of institutional racism and extremely high rates of racial health disparities, poverty, and chronic disease. We will use a mixed methods research design to conduct an in-depth exploration of a UBI intervention to reduce the racial wage gap and promote the use of culturally relevant protective factors. The provision of a UBI is intended to increase receipt and retention of HIV care services and treatment for Black men through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in culturally-based protective factors such as personal agency and social connections. We hypothesize that providing UBI of $500 per month for 6 months will result in increased HIV care utilization among low-income Black men living with HIV. Secondarily, we hypothesize that the effect of UBI will also increase adherence to HIV medication, such that more UBI recipients will achieve and maintain viral suppression compared to individuals in the control condition.
Read the detailed description
The proposed supplement from the parent R01 grant will expand on the parent grant by enrolling a larger sample (n=80) of Black men living with HIV as their diagnosed chronic disease. To date, no published UBI studies have ever been implemented exclusively with Black men living with HIV in the US. Motivated and inspired by the innovative health and social science being conducted in extremely resource-limited environments in other parts of the world, we recognize an urgent need to better understand the effect of cash transfers on HIV care among Black men in the US South. The proposed study will be based in Arkansas, which, like other Southern states, has a long history of institutional racism and extremely high rates of racial health disparities, poverty, and chronic disease. We will use a mixed methods research design to conduct an in-depth exploration of a UBI intervention to reduce the racial wage gap and promote the use of culturally relevant protective factors. The provision of a UBI is intended to increase receipt and retention of HIV care services and treatment for Black men through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in culturally-based protective factors such as personal agency and social connections. We hypothesize that providing UBI of $500 per month for 6 months will result in increased HIV care utilization among low-income Black men living with HIV. Secondarily, we hypothesize that the effect of UBI will also increase adherence to HIV medication, such that more UBI recipients will achieve and maintain viral suppression compared to individuals in the control condition. This study is designed to generate generalizable evidence to inform decisions by policymakers, scientists, and the general public about the inner-workings of UBI, the biases underlying who is deemed as "qualifying" or "deserving", and its downstream effects on public health, particularly related to access to HIV care, and structural racism.
- Conditions
- HIV, Health Care Utilization
- Being tested
- Universal Basic Income
- Medical subject headings
- Patient Acceptance of Health Care
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Universal Basic IncomeBehavioural
Universal basic income (UBI) is a system that gives everyone a minimum amount of money regularly, regardless of their income or work status.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | All participants will receive the following: 1) a ClinCard and instructions for completing a weekly financial journal to record participants' spending patterns and social needs during the first 6 months of the study; 2) materials about financial literacy and community-based resources that provide support to low-income individuals; 3) description and instructions for follow-up assessments and check-ins; 4) a copy of signed medical release, consent, and HIPAA forms; 5) respondent-driven sampling referral cards; 6) 3 study referral cards, and 7) information about voter registration services provided through the Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk's Office (https://www.pulaskiclerk.com/voter-registration/). Participants will be provided information about the importance of voting, restoration of voting rights, and the process of voting and sealing records. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Participants in Arm 2 will receive a monthly UBI stipend of $500 for 6 months. Study staff will explain that UBI payments will continue for 6 months and that the UBI payments will be suspended if an individual is reincarcerated (e.g. the participant will not receive UBI payments to their ClinCard during months of incarceration and will not receive additional months post-release from incarceration). Participants will receive their monthly UBI payment, along with all study-related compensation for completing baseline and follow-up assessments, through a ClinCard, which is a loadable debit card with an ID number unique to the participant. The UBI will be loaded to the participant's ClinCard on the first day of each month. Receives: Behavioral: Universal Basic Income |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Receipt of HIV care
Defined as having at least one HIV viral load and/or CD4 count laboratory test within the six-month period of study enrollment during which the UBI intervention will be implemented at the same period. We also will use medical chart abstraction to confirm self-reported use of HIV care services.
Measured: 1 year
Secondary outcomes (4)
HIV medication adherence
We will us adherence over a 30-day period as self-reported adherence.
Measured: 1 year
Retention in HIV care
Defined as having two CD4 viral load tests performed at least three months apart
Measured: 1 year
Viral suppression
Defined as having a viral load test result of <200 copies/ml
Measured: 1 year
Reduced HIV risk behaviors, including both unprotected sex and substance use
Will be assess at all three data collection time points (Baseline, 6-, and 12-month)
Measured: 1 year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Dec 2023
- Study start3 Aug 2023
- Primary completion5 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for HIVStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Arkansas
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Ashley Williams, MHS, Study director, University of Arkansas
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06186128
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 274097B
- Acronym
- 017744S
- Status last verified
- Oct 2025
- First submitted
- 15 Dec 2023
- Last updated
- 20 Oct 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Oct 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Universal Basic Income and Structural Racism in the US South: Differences in HIV Care Utilization Between Low-income African American Men Living With HIV
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06186128
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 017744S / 274097B
- Conditions
- HIV, Health Care Utilization
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of ArkansasUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 3 Aug 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 5 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a promising strategy aimed at recalibrating economic systems that are grounded in structural racism. Black men have long been the target of oppressive and interconnected systems of finance and healthcare access, leading to a disproportionate burden of exposure to infectious disease with little healthcare support. Yet to our knowledge, no published UBI studies have ever been implemented exclusively with Black men living with HIV in the US. Motivated and inspired by the innovative health and social science being conducted in extremely resource-limited environments in other parts of the world, we recognize an urgent need to better understand the effect of cash transfers on HIV care among Black men in the US South. The proposed study will be based in Arkansas, which, like other Southern states, has a long history of institutional racism and extremely high rates of racial health disparities, poverty, and chronic disease. We will use a mixed methods research design to conduct an in-depth exploration of a UBI intervention to reduce the racial wage gap and promote the use of culturally relevant protective factors. The provision of a UBI is intended to increase receipt and retention of HIV care services and treatment for Black men through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in culturally-based protective factors such as personal agency and social connections. We hypothesize that providing UBI of $500 per month for 6 months will result in increased HIV care utilization among low-income Black men living with HIV. Secondarily, we hypothesize that the effect of UBI will also increase adherence to HIV medication, such that more UBI recipients will achieve and maintain viral suppression compared to individuals in the control condition.
Detailed description
The proposed supplement from the parent R01 grant will expand on the parent grant by enrolling a larger sample (n=80) of Black men living with HIV as their diagnosed chronic disease. To date, no published UBI studies have ever been implemented exclusively with Black men living with HIV in the US. Motivated and inspired by the innovative health and social science being conducted in extremely resource-limited environments in other parts of the world, we recognize an urgent need to better understand the effect of cash transfers on HIV care among Black men in the US South. The proposed study will be based in Arkansas, which, like other Southern states, has a long history of institutional racism and extremely high rates of racial health disparities, poverty, and chronic disease. We will use a mixed methods research design to conduct an in-depth exploration of a UBI intervention to reduce the racial wage gap and promote the use of culturally relevant protective factors. The provision of a UBI is intended to increase receipt and retention of HIV care services and treatment for Black men through the influx of capital and subsequent increases in culturally-based protective factors such as personal agency and social connections. We hypothesize that providing UBI of $500 per month for 6 months will result in increased HIV care utilization among low-income Black men living with HIV. Secondarily, we hypothesize that the effect of UBI will also increase adherence to HIV medication, such that more UBI recipients will achieve and maintain viral suppression compared to individuals in the control condition. This study is designed to generate generalizable evidence to inform decisions by policymakers, scientists, and the general public about the inner-workings of UBI, the biases underlying who is deemed as "qualifying" or "deserving", and its downstream effects on public health, particularly related to access to HIV care, and structural racism.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | –All participants will receive the following: 1) a ClinCard and instructions for completing a weekly financial journal to record participants' spending patterns and social needs during the first 6 months of the study; 2) materials about financial literacy and community-based resources that provide support to low-income individuals; 3) description and instructions for follow-up assessments and check-ins; 4) a copy of signed medical release, consent, and HIPAA forms; 5) respondent-driven sampling referral cards; 6) 3 study referral cards, and 7) information about voter registration services provided through the Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk's Office (https://www.pulaskiclerk.com/voter-registration/). Participants will be provided information about the importance of voting, restoration of voting rights, and the process of voting and sealing records. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Universal Basic IncomeParticipants in Arm 2 will receive a monthly UBI stipend of $500 for 6 months. Study staff will explain that UBI payments will continue for 6 months and that the UBI payments will be suspended if an individual is reincarcerated (e.g. the participant will not receive UBI payments to their ClinCard during months of incarceration and will not receive additional months post-release from incarceration). Participants will receive their monthly UBI payment, along with all study-related compensation for completing baseline and follow-up assessments, through a ClinCard, which is a loadable debit card with an ID number unique to the participant. The UBI will be loaded to the participant's ClinCard on the first day of each month. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 25 years and older
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- be at least 25 years old;
- self-report as having received from a medical professional a diagnosis for HIV;
- have an annual income up to 400% of the federal poverty threshold (the 2023 federal poverty threshold is defined as an annual income of less than $14,580 for single adults) in the 12-month period prior to study enrollment;
- be able to understand and speak English and to provide written and verbal informed consent;
- plan to remain in the central Arkansas area for the duration of the study period;
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- -
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Basic IncomeUniversal basic income (UBI) is a system that gives everyone a minimum amount of money regularly, regardless of their income or work status. | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Receipt of HIV care
Time frame: 1 year
Defined as having at least one HIV viral load and/or CD4 count laboratory test within the six-month period of study enrollment during which the UBI intervention will be implemented at the same period. We also will use medical chart abstraction to confirm self-reported use of HIV care services.
4 secondary outcomes
HIV medication adherence
Time frame: 1 year
Retention in HIV care
Time frame: 1 year
Viral suppression
Time frame: 1 year
Reduced HIV risk behaviors, including both unprotected sex and substance use
Time frame: 1 year
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Oct 2025.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Ashley Williams, MHS study director
University of Arkansas
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Universal Basic Income in people with HIV and Health Care Utilization, run by University of Arkansas at 1 site in United States.
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 10 inclusion and 1 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Oct 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Brooke Montgomery, PhD (501-686-6801, bemontgomery@uams.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Receipt of HIV care (time frame: 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 20 Oct 2025.