B’ACTIV Behavioral Activation, Nutrition, and Activity Intervention for Persons Aging With HIV

Sep 28, 2026

B’ACTIV is a pilot 12-week Behavioral Activation intervention designed to reduce loneliness and increase social engagement in persons aging with HIV (PAWH). The program includes coach-guided work linking participants’ values to behaviors, plus tailored content to support home exercise and address poor nutrition. Stage 1 used community feedback from 12-week target participants to refine delivery, measures, and module content; Stage 2 partnered with clinical and research experts for tailoring; Stage 3 evaluated feasibility and acceptability. Seven participants were enrolled.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Study Overview

Intervention Components

Recruitment and Eligibility

Development in Three Stages

Stage 1: Community Engagement

Stage 2: Expert Tailoring

Stage 3: Feasibility and Acceptability

Participant Characteristics and Purpose

282 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.944 B’ACTIV BEHAVIORAL ACTIVATION, NUTRITION, AND ACTIVITY INTERVENTION FOR PERSONS AGING WITH HIV Ann Gruber-Baldini1, Laura Nnadi1, Renee Pepin2, Elizabeth Dennis1, Nancy Latham3, and Denise Orwig4, 1. University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 2. Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States, 3. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 4. University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States B’ACTIV is a pilot study of a 12-week Behavioral Activation intervention targeted to decrease loneliness and increase social engagement, that was augmented with specific content to increase home exercise and address poor nutrition among persons aging with HIV (PAWH) . The BA intervention includes a coach that focuses participants on their values to align them with behaviors to increase engagement. Recruitment included those ages 50+ with HIV from the University of Maryland THRIVE program. This work has been completed in three stages: Stage 1: A community engagement team of 5 PAWH provided feedback on the intervention, including preferences for delivery mode, recruitment strategies and brochures, measures, other study materials, and inclusion of the physical activity and nutrition modules. Recommendations included use of telephone/in-person intervention, deletion of “HIV” in materials to avoid stigma, and inclusion of foods to help with medication side effects of nausea, lack of appetite, and difficulty swallowing. Stage 2: We worked with HIV clinical and research experts in exercise, nutrition, and psychological functioning to tailor the content of the material and resources for the coaches to meet the needs of PAWH. Stage 3: Following the community engagement and tailoring the intervention for PAWH, we tested the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. There are currently 7 enrolled (5 active, 1 completed, 1 withdrew) . Mean age is 60.0 (SD = 7.5, range 51-75); 5 females/2 males; 6 AA/1 white. This study tests the feasibility of a much-needed intervention to improve functioning and health outcomes among a vulnerable group of older adults.

FAQs

What is the main goal of the B’ACTIV intervention for PAWH?

The intervention aims to decrease loneliness and increase social engagement while also improving home exercise and nutrition.

How does the behavioral activation component work?

A coach helps participants focus on their values and align those values with behaviors to increase engagement.

What were the three stages used to complete the work?

Stage 1 incorporated community feedback on delivery and study materials; Stage 2 tailored content with HIV experts in exercise, nutrition, and psychological functioning; Stage 3 tested feasibility and acceptability of the intervention.

Sep 28, 2026

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