Diné Unity Project: A community-based STD screening project

The Diné Unity Project is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded project that provides STD education and screening to high-risk populations on the Navajo Nation. The Project was initiated as a result of an epidemiological investigation that identified incarceration and treatment for substance abuse as major risk factors for contracting syphilis and other STDs. The project has two major aims: (1) to institutionalize STD prevention education and screening in the Navajo Nation's adult and juvenile detention centers and behavioral health outpatient treatment facilities; and (2) to provide STD prevention education and screening to the Navajo Nation at large through community outreach activities on the reservation and in neighboring border towns. To accomplish its goals, the project engaged in a 6-month long community-based participatory process to create a culturally appropriate and evidence-based intervention for STD knowledge and prevention. The result was a Power Point presentation that provides basic STD knowledge including common symptoms as well as information targeting behavior change through condom use. The degree of knowledge, behavior, and attitude change as a result of the intervention was measured through McNemar and paired samples t-tests of pre- and post-tests completed by participating inmates (n=100+). This presentation features lessons learned from engaging in a multi-agency sponsored project and provides a model for institutionalizing STD prevention education and screening in tribal jails and other facilities.