Dissemination and uptake of HIV/STD preventive interventions in American Indian and Alaska Native communities: a case study

ABSTRACT

Objectives: HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are serious health conditions among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations, especially youth. However, few sexual risk reduction evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have been implemented by AIAN-serving organizations. This project sought to identify and assess the parameters facilitating the uptake and use of EBIs in order to strengthen opportunities for sustainability and improved sexual health among AIANs.

Design: Guided by Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovation, we conducted a survey with a national sample of stakeholders involved with sexual health and well-being of AIAN youth (N = 142). We collected surveys for nine months beginning September 2010 and analyzed data in 2014 and 2015. We assessed respondents’ perceptions of factors that might facilitate or hinder the use of a sexual risk reduction EBI, called RESPECT, in their communities. We regressed the scale of likely program uptake (alpha = 0.88) on each of five measures of perception of diffusion and uptake: trialability (extent new program can be altered), relative advantage (more advantageous than current program), observability (impact of program), complexity (difficulty of implementation), and compatibility (consistent with community values and practices).

Results: Trialability (p = .009), observability (p = .003), and compatibility (p = .005) were found to be significantly related to program uptake in the adjusted model. Standardized betas showed that compatibility ranked highest of the three, followed by trialability and observability.

Conclusions: For AIAN-serving organizations and AIAN communities, demonstrating trialability, compatibility, and observability of a sexual risk reduction EBI in specific cultural settings may increase likelihood of implementation and sustainability.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV/STDs
• American Indians and Alaska Natives
• dissemination and implementation
• diffusion of innovation
• evidence-based interventions

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants of this project for the generosity of their time and their dedication to improving the lives of American Indian and Alaska Native youth.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [grant number PS001155].