The high rates of sexually transmitted disease (STD) and unintended pregnancy among Black youths who reside in urban areas are a major public health problem. Accordingly, the broad objective of the proposed research is to identify effective, theoretically based, culturally sensitive behavioral interventions to reduce these health risks. In the proposed research, 6th and 7th grade Black adolescents from a low-income, inner- city community in Pennsylvania will be assigned randomly to one of three conditions: an abstinence condition in which they will receive an intervention emphasizing the importance of delaying or curtailing sexual intercourse until an appropriate time later in life; (b)a safer-sex condition in which they receive an intervention emphasizing the importance of using condoms if they have sexual intercourse; and (c) a control condition in which they receive a general health intervention, not on AIDS and STD, but on other diseases, including heart disease, cancer, hypertension, that are affected by behavior. All interventions will be structurally similar: They will be identical in duration and will involve the use of films, exercises, and small group discussions led by specially trained Black facilitators. The age and gender of the facilitators will be varied randomly. Some interventions will be led by a peer facilitator and the others will be led by an adult facilitator. The approach draws on Bandura's social cognitive theory, Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action/theory of planned behavior, and the applicant's previous risk- reduction research with inner-city Black adolescents. Data will be collected preintervention, immediately postintervention, and at 3-, 6-, l2-, 18-, 24-, and 36-month follow-ups. The data will be analyzed with mixed model analyses of variance, planned contrasts, multivariate analyses of variance, and multiple regression analyses. Outcome variables include self-reported frequency of unprotected coitus, frequency of coitus, and frequency of condom use. Other measures include intentions, beliefs, and self-efficacy--theoretically relevant variables hypothesized to mediate intervention effects. Analyses on these variables will address the important theoretical question of why the interventions have effects on outcome measures. Analyses will also examine whether intervention effects are systematically different depending on whether the facilitator is a peer or an adult and key participant characteristics, including preintervention sexual experience. The results of this project will contribute to the development of efficient and effective HIV risk- reduction programs for young inner-city Black adolescents.
| Jemmott 3rd, J B; Jemmott, L S (2000) HIV risk reduction behavioral interventions with heterosexual adolescents. AIDS 14 Suppl 2:S40-52 |
| Jemmott 3rd, J B; Jemmott, L S; Fong, G T (1998) Abstinence and safer sex HIV risk-reduction interventions for African American adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 279:1529-36 |
