The Impact of Conditional Cash Transfers in Reducing HIV in Adolescent Girls and Boys (RHIVA): The CAPRISA 007 Matched Pair, Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

The CAPRISA 007 trial, was a pilot, proof of concept, matched pair cluster randomised control trial evaluating the impact of conditional cash transfers to reduce HIV and HSV-2 acquisition in adolescent high-school students. The trial enrolled Grades 9 and 10 learners regardless of age, gender or HIV status from 14 randomly selected secondary schools in rural KwaZulu-Natal. The baseline bio-behavioural assessments highlight the overall high prevalence of HIV and Herpes simplex-2 (HSV-2) infections with notable age–sex differences in both infections in adolescent girls compared to their male peers. This chapter describes the rationale, study design and experiences of conducting the CAPRISA 007 trial that assessed the impact of a cash-incentivised multi-component structural and behavioural intervention for HIV and HSV-2 prevention in high-school learners in rural KwaZulu-Natal.