Web-Based Middle School HIV Prevention Curricula: Aspiring for Reach and Impact

描述(由申请者提供)：基于网络的中学艾滋病毒预防课程：渴望触及和影响青少年早期性行为在美国是一个严重的公共卫生问题。然而，很少有计划被证明在推迟中学生的性行为方面有效，而且许多计划的广泛传播潜力有限。这个调查小组开发并评估了一个新的艾滋病毒、性传播感染和怀孕预防课堂和基于计算机的程序，题为这是你的游戏……保持真实(IYG)。经过长期随访，我们发现IYG在延缓青年性行为启动方面是有效的。这项评估是基于学生对课堂和基于计算机的部分的参与。为了增加其传播潜力，确定以计算机为基础的部分作为一门独立课程的相对长期有效性已成为该领域下一步的重要工作，因为这将审查预防的其他途径。我们最近将IYG的所有计算机活动转换为基于互联网的平台。互联网版的IYG计算机化部分结合了技术进步和互联网对青年的吸引力，这可能有可能增强效果，提高授课准确性，并以成本效益高的方式促进传播。在这一互联网项目的一项小型试点研究中，接触该项目的学生更有可能报告与危险性行为相关的心理社会因素的积极影响。这些发现需要在一项更大规模的试验中重复；因此，这项为期3年的研究建议将这项基于互联网的艾滋病毒、性传播感染(STI)和怀孕预防课程作为大型城市学区中学生的独立干预措施进行评估。该研究将对1600名中学生进行随机双臂嵌套设计，将接受互联网课程的学校(n=7所)与接受常规护理的学校(n=7所)进行比较。这项研究建立在这一领域广泛的先前研究的基础上，并将有助于我们理解使用互联网向中学生提供艾滋病毒、性传播感染和怀孕预防计划。 公共卫生相关性：叙述性描述利用计算机、游戏和互联网来解决青春期性教育是一个新兴的研究领域。一项针对中学生的基于互联网的艾滋病毒、性传播感染和怀孕预防计划具有低成本、高保真度传播的潜力，如果它被证明在延迟性开始方面是有效的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Web-Based Middle School HIV Prevention Curricula: Aspiring for Reach & Impact Early adolescent sexual behavior is a significant public health problem in the U.S. Few programs, however, have proven effective in delaying sexual behavior among middle school students, and many have limited potential for wide-scale dissemination. This investigative team has developed and evaluated a new HIV, STI and pregnancy prevention classroom and computer-based program, entitled It's Your Game...Keep it Real (IYG). We found IYG to be effective in delaying sexual initiation among youth after long term follow-up. This evaluation was based on student's participation in both the classroom and computer-based components. To increase its dissemination potential, determining the relative long-term effectiveness of the computer-based component as a standalone curriculum has become an important next step in the field, as this examines additional avenues for prevention. We recently converted all of the IYG computer activities to an Internet-based platform. An Internet version of the IYG computer-based component incorporates technological advances and the appeal of the Internet for youth, which may have the potential to bolster effects, improve lesson fidelity, and facilitate dissemination in a cost-effective manner. In a small pilot study of this Internet program, students exposed to the program were more likely to report positive effects on psychosocial factors related to risky sexual behavior. These findings need to be replicated in a larger trial; thus, this 3-year study proposes to evaluate this Internet-based HIV, sexually transmitted infection (STI), and pregnancy prevention curriculum as a standalone intervention for middle school students in a large urban school district. A randomized two-arm nested design will be conducted with 1,600 middle school students where schools receiving the Internet-based curriculum (n=7 schools) will be compared with comparison schools receiving usual care (n=7). This study builds on extensive prior research in this domain and will contribute to our understanding of using the Internet to deliver an HIV, STI, and pregnancy prevention program to middle school students. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Narrative Description The use of computers, games, and the Internet to address adolescent sex education is a burgeoning research area. An Internet-based HIV, STI, and pregnancy prevention program for middle school students has the potential for low-cost, high fidelity dissemination, if it is proven to be effective at delaying sexual initiation.