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Tuesday, November 3, 2009: 10:15 AM
Learning Objective 1: describe the threat that HIV poses to adolescent girls worldwide.
Learning Objective 2: describe the preliminary evidence demonstrated by this gender-specific HIV prention intervention for reducing HIV risk in girls.
Background: Worldwide nearly 90% of heterosexually-acquired adolescent HIV infections occur in females, thus prevention efforts should target girls before they become sexually active. Interventions that both delay sexual initiation and prepare girls for safer behaviors once they become sexually active are essential yet few scientifically-rigorous gender-specific interventions have been developed and tested.
Purpose: To assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an abstinence ‘plus’ gender specific HIV prevention intervention for urban girls ages 14-19.
Methods: This randomized controlled design with two intervention arms piloted a manualized intervention guided by the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model. We recruited 54 urban girls (78% African American, M age = 15.1 yrs) from an impoverished urban community. Girls were randomized to a gender-specific comprehensive “abstinence plus” intervention or structurally equivalent health promotion control group. Four 2-hour sessions were designed to increase resilience, maintain abstinence, and delay sexual debut, as well as increase knowledge, and improve motivation to reduce risk and behavioral skills. These small groups utilized motivational enhancement strategies and were guided by two trained female facilitators.
Results: In the 3-month follow-up effect sizes indicated that girls in the intervention group improved: HIV prevention knowledge (d = .93), resilience (d = .67), condom attitudes (d = .57), sex motives (d = .4), social norms (d = .37), parental caring and responsiveness (ds = .22-.28), and behavioral intentions for lower risk behaviors (d = .27), as compared to the control group; they were also less likely to engage in any drug use (d = .39).
Implications: This study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting a gender-specific HIV prevention intervention for abstinent urban girls within community settings. The results indicate that the theoretical antecedents of risk behavior were improved as well as concurrent risk behavior providing strong evidence for a test of the intervention in a full-scale trial.
Purpose: To assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an abstinence ‘plus’ gender specific HIV prevention intervention for urban girls ages 14-19.
Methods: This randomized controlled design with two intervention arms piloted a manualized intervention guided by the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model. We recruited 54 urban girls (78% African American, M age = 15.1 yrs) from an impoverished urban community. Girls were randomized to a gender-specific comprehensive “abstinence plus” intervention or structurally equivalent health promotion control group. Four 2-hour sessions were designed to increase resilience, maintain abstinence, and delay sexual debut, as well as increase knowledge, and improve motivation to reduce risk and behavioral skills. These small groups utilized motivational enhancement strategies and were guided by two trained female facilitators.
Results: In the 3-month follow-up effect sizes indicated that girls in the intervention group improved: HIV prevention knowledge (d = .93), resilience (d = .67), condom attitudes (d = .57), sex motives (d = .4), social norms (d = .37), parental caring and responsiveness (ds = .22-.28), and behavioral intentions for lower risk behaviors (d = .27), as compared to the control group; they were also less likely to engage in any drug use (d = .39).
Implications: This study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting a gender-specific HIV prevention intervention for abstinent urban girls within community settings. The results indicate that the theoretical antecedents of risk behavior were improved as well as concurrent risk behavior providing strong evidence for a test of the intervention in a full-scale trial.