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Intervention effective in the prevention of HIV and other STDs
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An approach designed to reduce HIV/STDs previously used exclusively by academic researchers has successfully been implemented by community-based organizations (CBOs).
University of Pennsylvania researchers concluded that CBOs were able to successfully implement an evidence-based HIV/STD risk-reduction intervention with adolescents. Although the intervention did not reduce the frequency of sexual intercourse, the intervention participants reported a greater proportion of condom-protected intercourse.
Interventions were led by 86 CBO’s with 1,707 adolescent participants divided into a control group and an HIV/STD risk-reduction group. The intervention was designed to give adolescents the knowledge, motivation and skills necessary to reduce their risk of STDs, including HIV. The teens reported at three, six and 12 months following the intervention. Throughout the study, the HIV/STD-intervention participants were more likely to report consistent condom use than the control group.
CBO facilitators who received more training were no more effective than those who received a basic intervention packet alone. Results suggest that the training the CBO facilitators does not need to be “extraordinarily extensive or expensive” to achieve desired results, according to the researchers.
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Jemmont JB. Am J Public Health. 2010; 100: 720-726.