Targeted HIV Education Shows Success

Teens are known to be at increased risk for human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, infection. Among adolescents, black girls are a subgroup at particularly high risk.

A study published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at an innovative HIV prevention program aimed at this population and found that self-esteem may be the best prevention.

"Unlike many programs which focus on HIV risk and prevention, our program focused on enhancing self-esteem, self-awareness and self-pride in being a young, African-American adolescent female," said Gina Wingood, of Emory University in Atlanta.

Wingood and her husband and fellow Emory University researcher Dr. Ralph DiClemente, along with colleagues at three other universities, authored the HIV prevention study.

The lessons taught in the prevention program include how and why the girls should protect themselves from HIV infection.

The researchers enrolled 522 sexually active black teenage girls in their study. Half the girls went through the four-part, tailored HIV prevention program, focused on self-esteem and HIV education. The other half went to general health education sessions. Girls in the tailored prevention program showed positive behavior change.

"Consistent condom use increased between 30 and 40 percent," DiClemente said. "This is very significant, as inconsistent condom use is one of the primary predictors of HIV infection."

The girls who took part in the program were also more likely to refuse or avoid unsafe sex. They had fewer new sexual partners and were less likely to become pregnant, proving that one size does not fit all in health education.

The study authors say education efforts should be specific to the age, gender, culture and behavior of each group of people in need of health education.

Nikia Braxton, a health educator at Emory University, said you have to meet the teens where they are.

"You have to make a connection, and the only way to do that is to specifically tailor the program to meet their needs," she said.

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