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| Section 3. Intervention Checklist |
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Intervention Checklist:
Elements of Successful Programs
A Tool for Assessment of Local HIV/AIDS Interventions
Background
- The Compendium provides ready access to many interventions with known effectiveness,
however, program planners, managers, or prevention service providers may be using an
existing intervention that has its own advantages. For instance, it was developed locally and
there is consensus in the community about its value. The Intervention Checklist was developed
as a tool to help with assessment of these existing interventions. Checklist items were derived
primarily from the common characteristics of successful programs in the Reputationally Strong
Programs Project (RSP), funded by CDC. Public and private AIDS organizations and CDC Project
Officers nominated HIV prevention programs that were viewed as "strong" because of their innovation,
organizational characteristics, field experience, and contributions to our understanding of intervention.
Eligible programs had to be located in the U.S., be locally based, be currently operational, have a strong
reputation for showing promise for preventing HIV, and could not have been formally evaluated
How to Use This Tool
- One may want to use the Checklist to fine-tune a strong program, or to consider new ideas for program
implementation or organizational planning. It may be helpful simply as a programmatic inventory. This
tool could be used in a regular staff or planning group meeting or an annual program review to
help measure progress.
Instructions:
- Consider each of the four sections and each item within the sections. It may be useful to
record examples from your local intervention onto the form in the space provided (if
needed, use bottom, back of page, etc.) Also, you may want to add items.
- Working individually or in a group, complete the Checklist. Rate each item High,
Medium, or Low. For instance, for the first Intervention item, a clearly defined audience, a
"high" rating would mean that the audience is very clearly defined, i.e., with enough
precision (e.g., ethnically/culturally, by risk behavior, gender, or other characteristics) for
optimal planning, tailoring of materials to that audience, and targeted recruitment.
- Review your responses. Consider each section separately. For example, are there one or
two items in the Implementation section that need attention?
- How do you/your group assess the current intervention overall? Is it satisfactory or can it
be strengthened? If you want to improve the activity, who would develop an action plan
for that? What accomplishment would address your current concerns? How feasible is that? What technical assistance might be helpful? What time lines would you anticipate? What resources would be needed?
| A.
Intervention Items |
Examples from Effective Interventions |
Examples from
Local Interventions
(Write In) |
Rating
(Circle One) |
| 1. The intervention
has a clearly defined audience |
STD patients who are at risk based on current STD infection
Runaway youth living in shelters who are at risk through survival sex |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 2. The intervention
has clearly defined goals and objectives |
To change risky sexual norms and behaviors in the gay community through personal endorsement of safer sex by key opinion leaders
To reduce risk for HIV/STD and unintended pregnancy among young women by increasing condom use |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 3. The intervention
is based on sound behavioral and social science theory |
Diffusion theory guides plan for key opinion leaders to speak with certain number of people (representing proportion of the at-risk population)
Stages of change model calls for tailoring the role model stories used in the intervention to level of readiness for risk reduction in the community |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 4. The intervention
is focused on reducing specific risk behaviors |
Reduce unprotected anal sex among men who have sex with men
Reduce "never using" condoms with steady and casual sex partners |
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High
Medium
Low |
| 5. The intervention
provides opportunities to practice relevant skills |
Role play condom negotiation with steady sex partner
Exercises for trying out personal coping strategies |
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High
Medium
Low |
| B.
Implementation Items |
Examples from Effective Interventions |
Examples from
Local Interventions
(Write In) |
Rating
(Circle One) |
| 1. There is a realistic
schedule for implementation |
Six months of preparation and coordination is needed before starting an intervention in a large health care organization
Two years of implementation are required for community level change |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 2. Staff are adequately
trained for sensitivity to the target population |
Staff receive training on responding to disclosures of domestic violence
Staff attend three, 1 hour sessions on the target population's culture, risk factors, and barriers to accessing service |
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High
Medium
Low |
| 3. Staff are adequately
trained to deliver the core elements of the intervention |
Peer volunteers receive 32 hours of interactive training on the intervention's goals, objectives, core elements, and delivery methods
Staff read intervention manuals, view training videos, role play intervention delivery, and have "booster" training one month after starting the intervention |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 4. Core elements
of the intervention are clearly defined and maintained in the
delivery |
Health educators use an intervention manual that labels the core elements
Supervisor observes intervention performance at least once a month and provides feedback on delivery of the core elements |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 5. HIV/AIDS intervention
is embedded in a broader context that is relevant to the target
population |
Runaway youth receive shelter, medical care, mental health counseling, and service referrals in addition to HIV prevention intervention
Inner city women receive HIV/AIDS intervention woven into the context of women's health, pregnancy planning, and caring for one's family |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| C.
Organization Items |
Examples from Effective Interventions |
Examples from
Local Interventions
(Write In) |
Rating
(Circle One) |
| 1. There is administrative
support for the intervention at the highest levels |
State health department commits to delivering the intervention in all STD, HIV, and family planning clinics holding state contracts
Local public housing authority provides on site office space for intervention activities |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 2. There are sufficient
resources for the current implementation |
Existing facility incorporates intervention into its continuum of care by replacing didactic information delivery with an information and skills-building intervention
Suitable space for the activities is located and rent is paid |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 3. There are sufficient
resources for sustainability |
Redefinition of duties makes intervention delivery part of staff job description
Intervention is not tied to grant funding but is part of agency’s overall budget |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 4. Decision-makers
are flexible and open to program changes |
“Ownership” of project is shared with target population volunteers who select new venues for delivery
Non-agency staff are permitted to deliver intervention to agency clients on-site |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 5. HIV/AIDS intervention
is embedded in a broader context that is relevant to the target
population |
Runaway youth receive shelter, medical care, mental health counseling, and service referrals in addition to HIV prevention intervention
Inner city women receive HIV/AIDS intervention woven
into the context of women’s health, pregnancy planning, and caring for one’s family |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| D.
Consumer/ Participant Items |
Examples from Effective Interventions |
Examples from
Local Interventions
(Write In) |
Rating
(Circle One) |
| 1. The intervention
meets specified priorities and needs defined by the community |
Intervention sponsors social events for young men who have sex with men in communities that do not have places for them to congregate
Intervention empowers peer volunteers to intervene in their own communities |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 2. For the target
population selected, the intervention is culturally competent |
“Role model” stories used within the community are experiences of actual members of the community (with their names changed)
English-Spanish video portrays real-life situations, decision-making processes, and condom negotiation strategies in appropriate Hispanic/Latino cultural context |
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High
Medium
Low |
| 3. For the target
population selected, the intervention is developmentally appropriate |
The need for safer sex is introduced naturally into the casual conversations of mature adult men who have sex with men
Runaway youth, ages 11 to 17, receive intervention messages in many entertaining ways and learn realistic expectations for skills development |
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High
Medium
Low |
| 4. For the target
population selected, the intervention is gender specific |
An intervention targeting inner-city women is delivered by community women and focuses on women’s health issues
Young gay men receive an intervention through their social networks |
|
High
Medium
Low |
| 5. The intervention
as implemented is acceptable to the participants |
Participants continue to come, even without incentives
Participants recommend the intervention to their friends |
|
High
Medium
Low |
Go to Appendix A
1 References
Holtgrave, D.R., et al. (1995). An overview of the effectiveness and efficiency of HIV prevention programs. Public Health Reports, 110 (2), 134-146.
Janz, N.K., et al. (1996). Evaluation of 37 AIDS prevention projects: successful approaches and barriers to program effectiveness. Health Education Quarterly, 23 (1), 80-97.
Mezoff, J., Seals, B., Sogolow, E., Komescher, R., Wooden, G., Bye, L., Tijugum, B. (1998). Reputationally Strong HIV Prevention Programs: Organizational Characteristics. Poster presentation, 12th World AIDS Conference, Geneva.
Kirby, D. (1995). A review of educational programs designed to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors among school-aged youth in the United States. In The Effectiveness of AIDS Prevention Efforts, HIV Prevention: State-of-the-Science, commissioned by the Office of Technology Assessment, compiled and produced by the American Psychological Association Office on AIDS, Washington, D.C.
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