Healthy Teen Girls: HIV Risk Reduction
Condition: HIV-infection/Aids
MeSH terms: HIV Infections; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2

Summary: 
      This project assesses the efficacy of an HIV prevention program with adolescent females
      incarcerated in the Mississippi training school for girls. Participants in both the health
      education control group and the HIV prevention group will increase health knowledge as a
      result of their participation in the health classes while incarcerated. However, participants
      in the HIV prevention group will increase their condom application, assertiveness, and
      communication skills relative to girls in the health education only group. In addition, after
      release from the training school, participants in the HIV prevention group will report lower
      sexual risk behaviors and will have lower rates of infection with chlamydia and gonorrhea
      during the 12-month follow-up period than participants in the health education only group.
    

Detailed description: 
      This study is a longitudinal analysis of STD/HIV exposure among adolescent female offenders
      in Mississippi, a population that is disproportionately African American, and at higher risk
      than adolescents in general due to their propensity to engage in a variety of risk-taking
      behaviors, earlier onset of sexual behaviors, and the greater prevalence of mental disorders,
      substance abuse disorders, maltreatment, and family dysfunction. Based on social cognitive
      theory and Fisher and Fisher's (1992) IMB (Information, Motivation, and Behavioral skills)
      model, we will evaluate a drug abuse related HIV risk reduction intervention and compare
      outcomes against a STD/HIV information and health education control condition.

      Approximately 400 females committed to the state reformatory/training school for girls will
      be recruited for participation. The research design will consist of alternating cohort/waves
      of about 50 subjects each. One treatment condition will be administered at a time with a
      washout period between cohort/waves. Over a three year period, one half of subjects will get
      18 hours of STD/HIV prevention and one half will get 18 hours of Health Education. All
      subjects will receive one individual counseling session designed to enhance motivation for
      behavioral change just prior to release from training school. Before and after the
      intervention, subjects' social competency skills, condom application skills, and health
      knowledge will be measured. Before intervention and at 6-month and 12-month follow-up,
      self-report measures of alcohol and drug use, condom use, sexual risk behaviors, and measures
      of victimization, partner risk, condom attitudes, self-efficacy, and communication related to
      condom use and risk reduction will be collected. Urine tests for the detection of 2 STDs
      (chlamydia and gonorrhea) will also be performed at admission to Columbia Training School and
      at 6-month and 12-month follow-up.
    

Intervention name(s): Cognitive-behavioral HIV/STD risk reduction
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 18 60-minute group sessions plus 1 individual health and safety planning session
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: HIV prevention; female adolescent offenders; sexual risk reduction; alcohol and other drug abuse