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Intervention Description
Intervention Package Information
Evaluation Study and Results
References and Contact Information
Intervention Description
Target Population
African American adolescents
Goals of Intervention
- Increase information and skills to
make sound choices
- Increase abstinence
- Eliminate or reduce sex risk
behaviors
Brief Description
Becoming a Responsible Teen (BART) is a group-level, education and behavior skills training intervention designed to reduce risky sexual behaviors and improve safer sex skills among African American adolescents. The 8 intervention sessions, delivered to groups of 5-15 youth, provide information on HIV and related risk behaviors and the importance of abstinence and risk reduction. The sessions were designed to help participants clarify their own values and teach technical, social, and cognitive skills. Through discussions, games, videos, presentations, demonstrations, role plays, and practice, adolescents learn problem solving, decision-making, communication, condom negotiation, behavioral self-management, and condom use skills. The participants also have a discussion with local, HIV-positive youth to promote risk recognition and improve their perception of vulnerability. In addition, the intervention encourages participants to share the information they learn with their friends and family and to provide support for their peers to reduce risky behaviors. |
Theoretic Basis
- Information Motivation Behavior (IMB) Model
- Social Learning Theory
Intervention Duration
Eight 90-120 minute sessions delivered over 8 weeks
Intervention Settings
A public health clinic serving low-income families
Deliverer
Two co-facilitators (one male and one female); a small group of local youth who were HIV-positive led a discussion in one session.
Delivery Methods
- Demonstrations
- Exercises/Games
- Group Discussion
- Lectures
- Practice
- Role plays
- Video
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Intervention Package Information
An intervention package is currently available from
ETR Associates
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Evaluation Study and Results
The original evaluation was conducted in
Jackson, Mississippi.
Key Intervention Effects
- Reduced initiation of sex
- Reduced sexual activity
- Reduced unprotected sex
- Increased protected sex
Study Sample
The baseline study sample of 246 adolescents is characterized by the following:
- 100% African American
- 72% Female; 28% Male
- Mean age of 15 years
- Mean education of 10 years
Recruitment Settings
Comprehensive public health center
Eligibility Criteria
Adolescents were eligible if they were
African American, between 14 and 18 years
old, had no current symptoms of HIV/AIDS,
and had parental or guardian informed
consent to participate in the study.
Assignment Method
Participants
(N = 246) were randomly assigned,
approximately half to 1 of 2 groups: BART (n
≈ 123) or education comparison (n ≈ 123).
Comparison Group
The
education comparison was a single, 2-hr
session that was identical to the first
session of the BART intervention. It
provided standard HIV/AIDS education that
was developmentally and culturally
appropriate for African American youth,
using both didactic and interactive
techniques.
Relevant Outcomes Measured and Follow-up Time
Sex behaviors during past two months
(including frequency of unprotected and
condom-protected vaginal, oral, and anal
sex; and number of sex partners) were
measured immediately after the intervention
and at 6- and 12 -month follow-ups.
Participant Retention
Significant Findings
- Overall, a significantly lower
percentage of intervention youth
reported being sexually active compared
to comparison youth at the 12 month
follow-up (p < .05).
- For the subgroup of youths who were
not sexually active at baseline, there
was a significantly smaller percentage
of intervention youth who reported
initiating sexual activity compared to
the comparison youth by 12 months (p
<.01).
- Sexually active intervention youth
reported a significantly greater
percentage of sexual intercourse
occasions that were condom-protected
than comparison youth at the 6-month (p
< .01) and 12-month (p < .05) follow-ups
- For the subgroup of sexually active
female youths, the intervention
participants reported a significantly
lower frequency of unprotected vaginal
sex than those in the comparison at the
12- month follow-up (p < .01). (While
the above findings meet best evidence,
this finding meets the
promising-evidence criteria.)
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References and Contact Information
- St. Lawrence, J. S., Brasfield, T. L., Jefferson, K. W., Alleyne, E., O'Bannon, R. E., & Shirley, A. (1995). Cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce African American adolescents' risk for HIV infection. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 221 – 237.
Researcher: Dr. Janet St. Lawrence, Mississippi State University – Meridian, Division of Arts & Sciences, 1000 Hwy 19 North, Meridian, MS 39307-5799. email: jlawrence@meridian.msstate.edu
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