Efficacy of the Young Women's CoOp: An HIV Risk-Reduction Intervention for Substance-Using African-American Female Adolescents in the South

ABSTRACT

HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk-reduction interventions are needed to address the complex risk behaviors among African-American female adolescents in disadvantaged communities in North Carolina. In a two-group randomized trial, we reached 237 sexually active, substance-using African-American female adolescents, to test a risk-reduction intervention, the Young Women's CoOp (YWC), relative to a nutrition control. In efficacy analyses adjusting for baseline condom use, at three-month follow-up participants in the YWC were significantly less likely to report sex without a condom at last sex relative to control. There were mixed findings for within-group differences over follow-up, underscoring the challenges for intervening with substance-using female youths.

KEYWORDS:

• alcohol and other drug use
• culturally sensitive
• gender
• sex risk behaviors

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the following people: Rachel Middlesteadt Ellerson for her field coordination efforts throughout the study; Jeffrey Novey for his review and editing of this manuscript; and the study participants for their time and participation to make this study possible.

Funding

This research was conducted with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreement (5UR6PS000665). The findings and conclusions presented are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.