Adapting a training of facilitators and using web analytics to evaluate the electronic dissemination of a faith-based HIV prevention program

Traditionally, HIV prevention research has favored the development of in-person “Training of Facilitators” for the purposes of implementing and disseminating evidence-based interventions.   Due to the expansion of technology-related capabilities, more innovative approaches can be utilized to train the larger community on health education programming in a manner that is time efficient, sustainable, and ensures fidelity across a mass number of trainings. 50 churches in the Atlanta metro area are being recruited through spring 2015 to implement a faith-based HIV prevention program with single African American females aged 18-34 years. Scripted processes used in a traditionally face-to-face Training of Facilitators have been transformed into digitized training modules. These modules, along with accompanying manuals, have been further translated into a program website to maximize accessibility and usability. In order to assess reach and uptake, web analytics are utilized to monitor unique views, average visit duration, and the frequency of views per training video. These analytics are also used to supplement the self-reported utilization of training materials across the 50 participating churches. The results from these analytics could speak to the popularity of web-based trainings and how user-friendly the formatting is. In migrating Training of Facilitators to a standardized web-based venue, it allows for greater usability, accessibility, and training fidelity. This is especially relevant in an era of rapid smartphone and tablet use. There are also numerous evaluation benefits to using web analytics, such as less effort required to monitor throughout implementation, greater validity, and the ability to continuously track changes longitudinally.