ADAPT-POL New Orleans: Adaptation of Prevention Techniques With Popular Opinion Leader

• Qualitative data collected during online focus groups to discuss risky sexual behavior engaged in by men who have sex with men (MSM) of color and access online venues primarily frequented by MSM in the New Orleans LA area. [ Time Frame: Fall/winter 2006 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Development of Popular Opinion Leader behavioral HIV prevention intervention materials adapted for use online use with men who have sex with men (MSM) of color and who access online venues primarily frequented by MSM in the New Orleans LA area. [ Time Frame: Spring 2007 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Behavioral: Popular Opinion Leader
Popular opinion leaders of social networks are identified and attend 4 sessions to prepare them to have casual conversations with persons in the social networks that are meant to shift social norms to embrace safer behaviors (e.g., increased condom use, fewer sexual partners)
Other Name: Adapted POL intervention also known locally as SouthPOL+.

In 2000, NO/AIDS was funded by the CDC to conduct community mobilization. Two components of that program were Kelly's POL and outreach in Internet chat rooms. Kelly's POL targeted traditional venues frequented by MSM, such as gay bars. Online outreach in chat rooms was modeled after standard street outreach, where outreach workers provide HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted disease and risk reduction information and referrals. Since the agency started online outreach, the Internet has continued to grow and it has become a mainstream venue for MSM to seek sexual partners online while maintaining their anonymity (Benotsch et al., 2002; Bull et al., 2001). With this trend, the agency realized that the online MSM community needed to be targeted by multiple behavior change interventions comparable to those implemented in other at risk venues. The agency included implementation of Kelly's POL online in chat rooms frequented by MSM as one of the interventions to be funded through the CDC's PA 04064 (the parent grant). As of August 2004, the agency has been funded under the parent grant to conduct Kelly's POL online in chat rooms that serve New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Southeastern U.S. region. This parent grant project shall be referred to as South POL. Supplemental PA 04064 funding for ADAPT will be used to further adapt South POL to target seropositive MSM of color. The supplement grant project shall be referred to as South POL+.

The South POL+ intervention has three main goals: first, to adapt the intervention for use with adult seropositive MSM of color based on formative evaluation findings; second, to evaluate and monitor the process of adapting the intervention utilizing the CDC-developed Adaptation Guidance; and third, to conduct implementation monitoring and evaluation and evaluation of the implementation of the adapted intervention.