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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Arthur Dwayne Johnson, BA1, Matthew R Facer, PhD2, Farzaneh Tabnak, MS, PhD3, and Juan D. Ruiz, MD, DrPH2. (1) Epi Studies, California Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS, 611 North 7th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816, (916) 324-3325, ajohnso3@dhs.ca.gov, (2) HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Branch, Office of AIDS, California Department of Health Services, 611 North 7th Street, Suite A, Sacramento, CA 95814, (3) California Department of Health Services, Cancer Detection Section, 601 North 7th Street, MS-428, P.O. Box 942732, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320
BACKGROUND. The number of reported cases of AIDS is increasing disproportionately among adult African-Americans in California. Incidence of a sexual transmitted infection (STI) may be indicative of increased risk for HIV infection. The relatively high incidence of chlamydia among African-American adolescents in 1999 (530 per 100,000) compared to all other racial/ethnic groups (249.9 per 100,000) in California suggest the need for prevention programs to reduce their risk of STIs, including HIV. METHODS. African-American adolescents (n=400) in a public school health class setting were either randomly assigned to a control group or to receive a culturally appropriate AIDS risk reduction intervention aimed at increasing AIDS-related knowledge, supporting abstinence, and increasing negotiation skills regarding risky sexual behavior. RESULTS. Initial results suggest that adolescents who received the AIDS intervention as part of their regular health class curriculum retained accurate AIDS knowledge ten-weeks after the intervention. Adolescents pointed to peer support as a factor for practicing less risky sexual behavior compared to those in the control condition. Follow-up analysis will assess whether the adolescents who received the AIDS intervention were able to maintain abstinence, if they reported fewer sexual encounters or partners, or if they increased their use of condoms. CONCLUSIONS. These results may suggest that culturally appropriate interventions incorporated into regular health class curricula can increase students’ knowledge about AIDS and change their attitudes toward risky sexual behaviors which increase the risk for HIV infection.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescents, African American
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.