Internet Adaptation of an HIV and Substance Use Prevention Intervention for Hispanic Families

Issues: HIV infection and substance use disproportionality affect Hispanic youth. While research shows that in-person, multi-session family-based prevention programs are efficacious in preventing behavioral health risks during adolescence, there are often engagement and retention challenges such as availability of the intervention, transportation, and scheduling difficulties for participants. Internet-based intervention delivery offers an opportunity to reduce these barriers and improve retention.  However, few programs exist and little is known about the acceptability of internet-based prevention programs among Hispanic families. 

Description: The goal of this study was to develop an internet-based adaptation of Familias Unidas, a preventive intervention for Hispanic families, which has been shown to be efficacious in reducing HIV- and substance-related risky behaviors among adolescents. We will discuss the development of eight “mock” online, group sessions and the use of web-based video conferencing to conduct live face-to-face family visits. Additionally, we will report the results of focus group interviews conducted during the piloting of the newly adapted intervention.

Lessons Learned: We learned how to best adapt eight two-hour face-to-face group sessions into thirty-minute online video segments. We faced challenges with the production and editing of the mock group sessions and in communicating the vision for this project to production staff unfamiliar with the intervention. Additionally, lessons were learned regarding the training of community-based facilitators who were unaccustomed to this method of intervention delivery.   

Recommendations: Strategies that enhance user engagement and create participatory learning experiences for families using online preventive interventions should be considered as additional risk-reduction approaches for at-risk youth.