Replicating a teen HIV/STD preventive intervention in a multicultural city

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Evidence-based adolescent HIV and STD prevention interventions exist.
• The portability and generalizability of these interventions across different populations remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate the "Focus on Kids" intervention, originally developed for urban African American adolescents, in a diverse, multicultural urban setting.
• To assess the intervention's effectiveness in improving attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, and intentions related to sexual initiation, condom use, and abstinence.

Main Methods:

• A replication study of the "Focus on Kids" intervention was conducted.
• A matched control group design was employed to compare outcomes.
• Intervention procedures were carefully replicated from the original study.

Main Results:

• Youth in the intervention group did not show significant improvements in attitudes, perceived norms, self-efficacy, or intentions regarding sexual behaviors compared to the control group.
• No demonstrable positive effects were observed in the replicated intervention.

Conclusions:

• The "Focus on Kids" intervention's portability was not demonstrated in this multicultural urban setting.
• Lower rates of sexual activity among adolescents in the replication city are a likely reason for the failure to replicate positive findings.
• Further research is needed to understand factors influencing intervention portability in diverse adolescent populations.