Oral

As more new cases of HIV are diagnosed among adolescents and young adults 13 to 29 years old than any other age group, prevention strategies must improve their approach in order to reach adolescents in a meaningful and memorable way (CDC, 2010). AMP! is a sexual health intervention collaboratively developed by artists and public school officials in Los Angeles that uses a theater-based approach to promote HIV prevention among adolescents. AMP! provides young people with crucial information in a novel way—simultaneously educating and inspiring them to make responsible sexual health decisions. While theater, social marketing, and arts-based methods are proven ways to engage teens (Glik, 2002), there have been few formal evaluations conducted to explore their effectiveness. This panel will highlight collaboration between the UCLA Art & Global Health Center and public health researchers to explore the impact and experience of AMP! with high school and college students. AMP! will be described within the greater context of important arts-based work being utilized in the field of public health. Results from sites in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chapel Hill will be shared, and the implications for research, policy and practice highlighted.