Design of a faith-based HIV intervention: successful collaboration between a university and a church

This article describes the development of a gender-specific and culturally tailored, theoretically derived, faith-based HIV intervention created to reduce HIV vulnerability among African American women. This innovative culturally congruent approach to HIV prevention involves one of the most influential social structures in the African American community-the African American church. Using the ADAPT-ITT model, and principles of community-based participatory research, this faith-based HIV intervention was adapted from a CDC-defined evidence-based HIV prevention intervention for young African American women. Results of data assessing the feasibility of implementing this faith-based HIV intervention suggests that young African American women are receptive and willing to participate in a faith-based HIV intervention. Results show that fidelity to intervention implementation (97%) and participant attendance to both sessions (92%) was high, and the HIV risk behaviors targeted in the faith-based intervention matched the participants' HIV behavioral risk profile. Given the vulnerability of young African American women to HIV sustainable efforts, in particular, the institutionalization of this intervention within the church structure could halt the persistent increase in HIV infections within this community.