An Evaluation of an Enhanced Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA) HIV Prevention Curriculum: The Role of Drug Education

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA) curriculum against an enhanced SISTA curriculum that included additional information about the relationship between drug use and HIV risk. The intervention aimed to reduce and prevent alcohol- and drug-related behaviors that negatively impact sexual decision making, such as having unprotected sex. It was hypothesized that the enhanced SISTA curriculum would lead to greater awareness of HIV risk and subsequently more consistent condom use. Participants were 260 young adult African American females, who identified as heterosexual. Measures of HIV knowledge and condom use were collected at pretest, posttest, and/or 3-month follow-up. The enhanced SISTA intervention demonstrated greater effectiveness than did the standard SISTA intervention in promoting HIV knowledge at posttest and subsequent condom use at 3-month follow-up. Implications for including drug education in HIV prevention efforts are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• African American women, HIV prevention

Funding for this study was provided by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Office on Women's Health. We would like to acknowledge Julia Foster-Woodson, senior prevention specialist, and Deirdre Johnson, peer health educator, for their roles in this study. Finally, appreciation is extended to all of the women who have participated in our HIV prevention interventions.

Notes

∗Descriptive information for Time 1 is reported in the table.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Faye Z. Belgrave

Faye Z. Belgrave, PhD, is Director of the Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention and Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Maya Corneille

Maya Corneille, PhD, formerly at the Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, is Associate Professor of Psychology at North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC.

Aashir Nasim

Aashir Nasim, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Angela Fitzgerald

Angela Fitzgerald, MS, is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Vivian Lucas

Vivian Lucas, MBA, is a Project Director and Associate Director at the Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention, Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.