C2P (With Venues): Connect to Protect® Partnerships For Youth Prevention Interventions

Phase III's objective is to initiate and complete a community mobilization intervention
aimed at reducing HIV incidence and prevalence among youth. The intervention will consist of
guiding C2P coalitions through a strategic planning process that will result in the
development and implementation of a local action plan. The action plan will focus on
changing structural elements of the affected communities that are believed to be associated
with youth HIV acquisition and transmission. The effectiveness of the intervention will be
evaluated by tracking venues where the population of interest congregates and trends in risk
factors associated with HIV acquisition and transmission.

ATN 040b evaluates annual anonymous data collection of two cohorts per participating ATN/C2P
site. Both cohorts will represent a site's population of focus, but will be recruited in
different ways and for different activities.

Cohort #1 will be referred to the site via Official Community Partners and word of mouth.
Each year of the study, 10 to 20 individuals will be recruited to complete venue-tracking
surveys as described in Section 2.1 (N = 40-80 per site over four years). The results will
either confirm that the population of focus can still be reached at previously identified
congregation venues or reveal new ones that should be considered for further research
activities. Each year, based on data from Cohort #1, ATN/C2P site staff will go to two to
three of the confirmed and/or new congregation venues to recruit 20 to 30 participants per
venue for Cohort #2. These participants will complete the HIV-related risk survey, with the
addition of the HIV-Ab assay in the final year only (N = 160-360 per site over four years).
Data will be used to evaluate the intervention within and across ATN/C2P sites.

Inclusion Criteria:

- An individual who provides verbal confirmation that his or her age falls within the
range of the site's population of focus (which must be within 12 through 24 years,
inclusive);

- Verbal confirmation of demographic and sexual orientation/experience profile
reflective of the site's population of focus;

- Must report engaging in any voluntary sexual activity (vaginal, anal or oral sex)
within the past 12 months, regardless of sexual abuse history; and

- Ability to understand and willingness to provide verbal informed consent/assent in
English or Spanish.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Visibly distraught and/or visibly emotionally unstable (e.g., depressive mood;
exhibiting manic, suicidal, or violent behavior);*

- Visibly intoxicated or under the influence of psychoactive agents#; or

- Presents as acutely ill.

- Although it is very unlikely that an individual from the community will overtly
show signs of suicidality, youth with any of these exclusion criteria may be
approached at a later date if encountered again at the venue and earlier
exclusionary conditions are resolved.

- For sites targeting drug users, this may pose challenges. Potential
participants who are visibly under the influence are to be further assessed
in terms of their level of alertness, coherency, and abilities to
understand and respond to questions. This is to be done keeping staff and
participant safety in mind, as well as follow-up procedures such as
providing service referrals.