This 3-year """"""""Longitudinal Study of the RAP Peer Intervention for HIV Prevention"""""""" will assess the long-term behavioral effects of a peer-implemented HIV prevention program on trained active drug users and the drug-using contacts to whom they provide intervention, diffusion of the intervention and its effects through drug-user social networks and into drug use sites in Hartford, CT, and sustainabilitv of peer-led HIV prevention intervention. This is a continuation of the (RAP) project (R01 DA13356) to test this theoretically driven peer intervention program regarding its effectiveness in reducing HIV risks and drug-related harm among the trained """"""""Peer Health Advocates"""""""" (PHAs), their network Contact Referrals (CRs), and the Hartford drug-using community.
The aims of the proposed continuation study are to assess: 1) long-term effects of the RAP PHA training program and the process of delivering the peer-led intervention on PHAs' HIV risk reduction attitudes and behaviors; 2) long-term effects of the RAP PHA delivered peer-led intervention on CRs' HIV risk reduction attitudes and behaviors; 3) the diffusion of the RAP peer-led intervention components (materials, messages), effects (risk/harm reduction practices), and delivery process (peers helping peers) through networks of drug users in Hartford; and 4) the sustainability of the RAP peer-led intervention (materials/messages, risk reduction practices, peer-delivery process), and factors needed to sustain it over time. The study integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to document the process of peer intervention provision in the community and its impact. This will include the following three primary activities over the three-year extension: 1) a repeat follow-up (T3) survey interview with PHAs who initiated the training (n=129; 90 after attrition), their initial Contact Referrals (CR) who we interviewed at the start of the study (n=258, 155 after attrition), and at least one new CR from PHAs' current drug-using social networks (n=90); this survey (total n=335) will be conducted at approximately 2-21/2 years post intake for PHAs and original CRs; 2) continued ethnographic observations of drug use sites and Community Advocacy Group meetings of PHAs, and in-depth interviews of PHAs, CRs, and other drug users regarding the intervention, its provision and effects, and its diffusion and sustainability; and 3) a repeat """"""""communitywide survey"""""""" conducted with PHAs, CRs, and other drug users in Hartford, using the same methods as the communitywide survey of the original RAP study (n=700).

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA013356-07
Application #
7220588
Study Section
Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS Study Section (BSPH)
Program Officer
Meyer, Aleta L
Project Start
2000-08-01
Project End
2009-04-30
Budget Start
2007-05-01
Budget End
2009-04-30
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$678,497
Indirect Cost
Name
Institute for Community Research
Department
Type
DUNS #
024371270
City
Hartford
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06106
Weeks, Margaret R; Kostick, Kristin; Li, Jianghong et al. (2015) Translation of the Risk Avoidance Partnership (RAP) for Implementation in Outpatient Drug Treatment Clinics. J Psychoactive Drugs 47:239-47
Li, Jianghong; Weeks, Margaret R; Borgatti, Stephen P et al. (2012) A social network approach to demonstrate the diffusion and change process of intervention from peer health advocates to the drug using community. Subst Use Misuse 47:474-90
Dickson-Gomez, Julia; Weeks, Margaret R; Convey, Mark et al. (2011) SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF ENHANCED HIV RISK REDUCTION AMONG PEER INTERVENTIONISTS. J Community Psychol 39:369-389
Convey, Mark R; Dickson-Gomez, Julia; Weeks, Margaret R et al. (2010) Altruism and peer-led HIV prevention targeting heroin and cocaine users. Qual Health Res 20:1546-57
Weeks, Margaret R; Convey, Mark; Dickson-Gomez, Julia et al. (2009) Changing drug users' risk environments: peer health advocates as multi-level community change agents. Am J Community Psychol 43:330-44
Weeks, Margaret R; Li, Jianghong; Dickson-Gomez, Julia et al. (2009) Outcomes of a peer HIV prevention program with injection drug and crack users: the Risk Avoidance Partnership. Subst Use Misuse 44:253-81
Dickson-Gomez, Julia; Hilario, Helena; Convey, Mark et al. (2009) The relationship between housing status and HIV risk among active drug users: a qualitative analysis. Subst Use Misuse 44:139-62
Dickson-Gomez, Julia; Weeks, Margaret; Martinez, Maria et al. (2006) Times and places: Process evaluation of a peer-led HIV prevention intervention. Subst Use Misuse 41:669-90
Weeks, Margaret R; Dickson-Gomez, Julia; Mosack, Katie E et al. (2006) The Risk Avoidance Partnership: Training Active Drug Users as Peer Health Advocates. J Drug Issues 36:541-570