Young African American adults attending STD clinics are a population at increased risk for HIV infection. Thus, the search for effective clinic-based interventions tailored to youth at risk for HIV infection remains a national priority. One commonly understudied aspect of HIV prevention is the promotion of correct condom use; a behavior that males typically control in the context of heterosexual relationships. The proposed project will enroll 180 young African American men (ages 18 - 29) in a pilot study that will assess the feasibility and efficacy of a brief (30 to 60 minute) interactive, one-on-one, intervention designed to motivate men to use condoms and provide them with the skills needed to use them correctly. The initial phase of this study will involve focus group work and pre-testing of the instruments and intervention. Subsequently, men will be recruited from an urban STD clinic located in Atlanta, GA. Men diagnosed with any STD will be eligible for participation in the study. After a brief assessment, men will be randomized to receive standard-of- care treatment only or standard-of-care plus an experimental brief counseling program. All participants will be contacted and asked to return for a follow-up assessment occurring three months after the initial assessment. The study has three specific aims: 1) to identify areas of information, motivation and skills training that deserve specific emphasis in a brief program designed to promote consistent and correct use of condoms among high-risk young African American men, 2) to establish the feasibility of a brief clinic-based method to provide high-risk young African American men with information, motivation, and behavioral skills that will protect them from acquiring and subsequently transmitting HIV/STD, and 3) to provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of a brief intervention designed to reduce HIV/STD risk behavior among high-risk young African American men. In addition, the study will detect trends in differential rates of STD re-infection, between the two study groups, based on a clinical records review conducted 12 months after study enrollment. The findings from this study will provide guidance for the further development and refinement of brief, clinic-based, interventions designed to prevent HIV and STD infection among young African American men. ? ?
