Self-instruction to prevent HIV infection among African-American and Hispanic-American adolescents

This study tested the efficacy of self-instruction intervention to reduce avoidable risks for HIV infection associated with drug use and unsafe sexual activity among African-American and Hispanic adolescents (N = 60). After completing pretests, adolescent participants in the study were randomly divided into three conditions. Participants in one condition received a self-instructional guide about AIDS and its transmission along with group instruction in using the guide. Adolescents in another condition received the guide without group instruction. Participants in the third condition received neither the guide nor group instruction. Outcome findings indicate that participants in the two self-instruction conditions improved more between pretest and posttest assessments on measures of HIV infection risk compared with adolescents in the control condition.