An Arts Intervention for Drug-Using Homeless Youth
Condition: Drug Use
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 2

Summary: 
      In the study, homeless youth from a drop-in site and faculty from UCLA and California
      Institute of the Arts will develop, pilot test and evaluate a youth-based drug and
      health-promoting program. It is hoped that this program will help in the development of a
      program that can be further tested in a larger study and lead to the development of an
      innovative and effective drug counseling program that youth situated in homeless sites will
      utilize.
    

Detailed description: 
      Nationwide, homeless youths are attempting to escape major life challenges, which may result
      in problem drug and alcohol use. Such behaviors are associated with hepatitis virus
      infections and HIV. Less than one third of homeless youth seek medical care, and less than
      10% of drug and alcohol-using youths seek substance abuse treatment services. Based upon
      increasing knowledge about the barriers experienced by homeless youth relating to accessing
      treatment for substance use and health promoting services, it is clear that homeless youth
      need to play a major role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of drug counseling
      programs delivered at sites that homeless youth frequent. Using a community-based
      participatory research (CBPR) approach, UCLA researchers recently engaged homeless youth and
      community partners in qualitative research to better understand homeless youths' perspectives
      on drug counseling and to consider innovative strategies to engage homeless youth, in
      accessing drug use and health promotion counseling. Our community partners included homeless
      youth from homeless youth-based organizations, and faculty from the California Institute of
      the Arts (CalArts). An innovative youth-centered strategy considered by homeless youth was
      the use of the arts and media to craft personal messages that capture youth interest and
      appeal. In the proposed investigation, researchers, homeless youth and staff from a drop-in
      site frequented by homeless youth, along with our CalArts partners, will participate in the
      development, pilot testing and evaluation of a youth-centered drug-use and health-promoting
      intervention program. In Phase I of this R21, a CBPR approach will be utilized with a
      steering committee to develop a youth-centered drug use and health promoting intervention
      program, LIFE MATTERS which will be assessed in terms of acceptability via focus group
      sessions with street youth and subsequently refined based upon homeless youth feedback. In
      Phase 2, investigators and community partners will conduct a pilot study to explore the
      acceptability of the LIFE MATTERS program as well as test the impact of the program, compared
      to a control group, with 80 similar youth in terms of: completion of the program; reduction
      of risky drug and alcohol use; completion of a HAV/HBV vaccine series; and improvement in
      knowledge about hepatitis. The short-term goals are to refine strategies that can be fully
      tested in a large-scale intervention trial. The long-term goals are to contribute to
      knowledge about promoting innovative and youth-designed drug-related behaviors, and treatment
      completion in settings where youth congregate.
    

Intervention name(s): Art Messaging; Health Promotion
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): 4-session educational group which utilizes art, photography, film, painting to portray a message to reduce drug use, and prevent hepatitis A, B, & C; 4 session education which offers basic information about the prevention of hepatitis A, B, & C
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention