Relationships, Sexual Norms, and HIV Prevention Among African American Youth

项目摘要/摘要 城市少数民族青年，特别是非裔美国人，受艾滋病毒/艾滋病和其他疾病的影响不成比例 性传播感染(CDC，2007a、2007b、2008a)。尽管青春期早期是一种宝贵的 集中预防工作的窗口，相对较少的循证艾滋病毒预防干预措施 在学校环境中经过测试并被发现有效的中学生。与 NICHD RFA的目标，拟议的研究旨在通过开发和测试来解决这些差距 针对城市、少数民族和中学青年的新的以理论为基础的干预措施，其基础是以下基本要素 性发展、性危险行为预防和积极的青年发展。建议进行的研究 将评估两个以理论为基础的旨在促进关系的干预组成部分的效果 作为减少性行为风险的途径的发展：(1)以技能和规范为基础的艾滋病毒，其他 性传播感染和怀孕预防课程，将重点放在可能影响 疾病风险，如发展健康的关系、性伙伴关系(例如，多个和同时发生的 伴侣)、关系规范(例如，在关系中何时发生性行为)、避孕套使用和艾滋病毒/性传播感染检测 关系和结束不健康的关系；和(2)一个全校范围的社会规范组成部分，将 每月举办同辈主导的活动(有些是通过电子媒体进行的)，以渗透到学校环境中 关于健康关系的亲社会规范--加强和扩大 课堂课程，并为其他青年提供积极的榜样。该计划将被评估为 确定其在改变行为意图和性冒险行为方面的有效性(例如，性启动， 性伴侣的数量和类型、避孕套的使用)和相关决定因素，如功能知识、态度、 信仰、感知规范、亲子沟通、性限制和对危险情况的认识。这个 评估将采用随机对照设计，涉及10所学校(约1500名学生)。 五所学校将接受干预；其他五所学校将作为比较地点。学生们会成为 在研究期间进行了3次评估--基线、6个月和18个月，使用与 音频增强型个人数字助理(APDA)。这项拟议的研究将是第一批评估的研究之一 一项针对中学生的艾滋病预防计划，以人际关系为核心主题。此外， 由此产生的数据将扩大关于早期青少年预防活动的有限文献；它还将 增加了越来越多关于青少年关系发展的文献，特别是在非洲 美国和其他城市少数民族青年。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Urban minority youth, particularly African Americans, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (CDC, 2007a, 2007b, 2008a). Although early adolescence is a valuable window to focus prevention efforts, there are relatively few evidence-based HIV prevention interventions for middle school youth that have been tested and found effective in school settings. Consistent with the objectives of the NICHD RFA, the proposed study is designed to address these gaps by developing and testing a new theory-based intervention for urban, minority, middle school youth that builds on essential elements of sexuality development, sexual risk behavior prevention, and positive youth development. The proposed study will assess the effects of two theoretically based intervention components that aim to promote relationship development as an avenue of reducing sexual risk taking behaviors: (1) a skills- and norm-based HIV, other STI, and pregnancy prevention curriculum that will focus on relationships and related behaviors that may affect disease risk, such as developing healthy relationships, sexual partnering (e.g., multiple and concurrent partners), relationship norms (e.g., when to have sex in relationships), condom use and HIV/STI testing within relationships, and ending unhealthy relationships; and (2) a school-wide social norms component that will feature monthly peer-led activities (some delivered via electronic media) to permeate the school environment with pro-social norms regarding healthy relationships--reinforcing and extending the potential effects of the classroom curriculum, and providing positive models for other youth. The program will be evaluated to determine its efficacy in altering behavioral intentions and sexual risk taking behaviors (e.g., sexual initiation, number and type of partners, condom use) and related determinants, such as functional knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, perceived norms, parent-child communication, sexual limits, and awareness of risky situations. The evaluation will feature a randomized controlled design involving 10 schools (approximately 1,500 students). Five schools would receive the intervention; the other five would serve as comparison sites. Students would be assessed 3 times during the study--baseline, 6 and 18 months, using self report surveys administered with audio-enhanced personal digital assistants (APDAs). The proposed study would be among the first to evaluate an HIV prevention program for middle school youth that features relationships as a core theme. Further, resulting data would expand the limited literature on prevention activities for early adolescents; it would also add to a growing body of literature on adolescent relationship development, particularly among African American and other urban minority youth.