Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

Abstract #159340

Stacey Alicea, MPH¹, Laura Elwyn, MSW¹, and Mary McKay, PhD². (1) Psychiatry and Community Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029, 212-659-8790, Stacey.Alicea@mssm.edu, (2) Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029

Objectives This study examines the preliminary impact of a community collaborative HIV prevention project involving parents from Bronx, New York as HIV community educators.

Methods A sample of urban parents (n=90) recruited to participate in the CHAMPIONS program were randomized into an experimental group, receiving community collaborative training and mentorship, and a comparison group receiving standard training. Both groups of parents were trained in an evidence-based HIV preventative intervention. All participants completed pre- and post-assessments with items developed based upon The Theory of Unified Behavior in order to tap influences on intention to collaborate in the project. Results of factor analysis, as well as high cronbach alpha levels among scales, indicate the instrument utilized possessed an acceptable degree of internal consistency and validity.

Results Bivariate analyses indicate that the experimental group evidenced significant changes in mean score values across constructs that are theorized to influence participation in HIV prevention efforts with researchers. However, there were no significant changes in same constructs for the comparison group. Specifically, the experimental group evidenced significant means score increases in regards to habitual and automatic processes, social norms and beliefs and expectations, salience of the behavior, and HIV prevention knowledge.

Conclusions Participation in the CHAMPIONS program appears to be associated with increases in factors that are theoretically linked to participation in the project. Future research should further examine if strengthening of, and further focus on, these significant constructs within community collaborative research efforts is significantly associated with actual participation in an HIV prevention research project.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify 4-5 key factors that influence intention of urban parents to participate in an HIV prevention research project with researchers.
• Evaluate how key factors identified explain significant increases in willingness of urban parents to become HIV community educators for an HIV prevention research project.
• Discuss how key factors identified can be disseminated and utilized in future HIV prevention research efforts that involve community-based participation.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, HIV Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No