Costs of a Brief Alcohol Consumption Reduction Intervention for Persons Living with HIV in Southwestern Uganda: Comparisons of Live Versus Automated Cell Phone-Based Booster Components
Open accessAbstract
Low-cost interventions are needed to reduce alcohol use among persons with HIV (PWH) in low-income settings. Brief alcohol interventions hold promise, and technology may efficiently deliver brief intervention components with high frequency. We conducted a costing study of the components of a randomized trial that compared a counselling-based intervention with two in-person one-on-one sessions supplemented by booster sessions to reinforce the intervention among PWH with unhealthy alcohol use in southwest Uganda. Booster sessions were delivered twice weekly by two-way short message service (SMS) or Interactive Voice Response (IVR), i.e. via technology, or approximately monthly via live calls from counsellors. We found no significant intervention effects compared to the control, however the cost of the types of booster sessions differed. Start up and recurring costs for the technology-delivered booster sessions were 2.5 to 3 times the cost per participant of the live-call delivered booster intervention for 1000 participants. These results suggest technology-based interventions for PWH are unlikely to be lower cost than person-delivered interventions unless they are at very large scale.
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Two studies conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of BI in Uganda and South Africa.
“Two studies conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of BI in Uganda [115] and South Africa [116]).”
From A scoping review of substance use brief interventions in Africa (2024) · cites this paper as [115]
The Uganda study reports an intervention costing analysis, not a cost-effectiveness analysis. In Discussion > Limitations, the authors explicitly say they were unable to assess cost-effectiveness because the main trial found no statistically significant effects. The separate South Africa citation is not assessed here. (LLM, conf=0.95)
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe authors found no significant intervention effects compared to the control.
“The authors found no significant intervention effects compared to the control.”
From A scoping review of substance use brief interventions in Africa (2024) · cites this paper as [115]
The Abstract says there were no significant intervention effects compared with the control, and the Discussion’s Limitations section likewise describes a lack of statistically significant effects in the main trial. However, the Introduction reports significant effects for each intervention arm on self-reported drinking days, while reporting no effects on PEth or viral suppression. The unqualified claim therefore overlooks a significant outcome reported in the same paper. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCosts for the technology-delivered booster sessions were 2.5 to 3 times the cost per participant of the live-call delivered booster intervention for 1000 participants.
“Costs for the technology-delivered booster sessions were 2.5 to 3 times the cost per participant of the live-call delivered booster intervention for 1000 participants [115].”
From A scoping review of substance use brief interventions in Africa (2024) · cites this paper as [115]
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A scoping review of substance use brief interventions in Africa
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Self-citationKasoka, J., Ng’ambi, W. F., Adoration, C., & Zyambo, C. M. (2026) · International Journal of Noncommunicable Diseases · doi:10.4103/jncd.jncd_184_25
- Authors
- Hahn, J. A., Kevany, S., Emenyonu, N. I., Sanyu, N., Katusiime, A., Muyindike, W. R., Fatch, R., & Shade, S. B.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- University of Leeds (GB)
- Mbarara University of Science and Technology (UG)
- Corresponding author
- Hahn, Judith A.
- ORCID
- Venue
- AIDS and Behavior
- Published
- 2023-02-20
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 2865-2874
- ISSN
- 1090-7165 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3254
- PMC
- PMC10386919
- OpenAlex
- W4321478469
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 0.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- AIDS and Behavior (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA024990, K24 AA024586)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
- Keywords
- alcohol consumption reduction, people living with HIV, brief alcohol intervention, booster sessions, technology-based interventions, interactive voice response, short message service, intervention costs, low-cost interventions, Uganda
- MeSH terms
- Alcohol Drinking, Crisis Intervention, Humans, Uganda, HIV Infections, Text Messaging
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