Reality Check: An HIV Risk Reduction Serial Drama
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Infectious Disease, HIV / AIDS, HIV / AIDS, HIV / AIDS |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Immunology / Infectious Diseases |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - 24 |
| Updated: | 11/25/2017 |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2017 |
Reality Check: Evaluation of an HIV Risk Reduction Serial Drama for Black Youth
African Americans have considerably higher rates of HIV infections than do White, Hispanic,
Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV
infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also
have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to
reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education
refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment.
Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study
found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated
with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Similarly,
a radio soap opera called "Twende na Wakati" became the most popular television show in
Tanzania and was highly successful in reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing
condom use. A narrative video intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S.
cities found a significant reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during
months when the video was shown compared with patients visiting during months when it was not
shown. Although these studies show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for
behavior change, none of them evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online
entertainment-education intervention specifically designed for African American youth. To
address this gap in the literature, this study tested the preliminary efficacy of an
innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama intervention, Reality Check,
specifically tailored to young African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial,
allocating African Americans 18 to 24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control
intervention promoting physical activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of
videos streamed online and accessible via any Internet-capable device. Participants completed
surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We
hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce condomless sex during the 3-month
post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting for
baseline of the criterion.
Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV
infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also
have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to
reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education
refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment.
Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study
found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated
with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Similarly,
a radio soap opera called "Twende na Wakati" became the most popular television show in
Tanzania and was highly successful in reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing
condom use. A narrative video intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S.
cities found a significant reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during
months when the video was shown compared with patients visiting during months when it was not
shown. Although these studies show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for
behavior change, none of them evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online
entertainment-education intervention specifically designed for African American youth. To
address this gap in the literature, this study tested the preliminary efficacy of an
innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama intervention, Reality Check,
specifically tailored to young African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial,
allocating African Americans 18 to 24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control
intervention promoting physical activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of
videos streamed online and accessible via any Internet-capable device. Participants completed
surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We
hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce condomless sex during the 3-month
post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting for
baseline of the criterion.
African Americans have considerably higher rates of HIV infections than do White, Hispanic,
Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV
infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also
have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to
reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education
refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment.
Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study
found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated
with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Sabido and
colleagues used "telenovelas" in Mexico to increase participation in a national literacy
campaign and promote birth control use. Similarly, a radio soap opera called "Twende na
Wakati" became the most popular television show in Tanzania and was highly successful in
reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom use. A narrative video
intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S. cities found a significant
reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during months when the video was shown
compared with patients visiting during months when it was not shown. Although these studies
show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for behavior change, none of them
evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online entertainment-education intervention specifically
designed for African American youth. To address this gap in the literature, this study tested
the preliminary efficacy of an innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama
intervention, Reality Check, specifically tailored to young African Americans and aimed at
decreasing the frequency of condomless sex and promoting HIV testing among young adult
African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial, allocating African Americans 18 to
24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control intervention promoting physical
activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of videos streamed online and
accessible via any Internet-capable device (e.g., smartphone, laptop or tablet). This mode of
delivery was well suited to young African Americans because high percentages of young African
Americans own and use Internet enabled mobile phones as their primary way to consume online
content. We recruited participants through Facebook and Instagram, flyers posted on college
campuses, college mailing lists, and referrals from participants. Participants completed
surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We
hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce the frequency of condomless sex during the
3-month post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting
for baseline of the criterion.
Asian, and Native Americans. African Americans accounted for 59% of all diagnoses of HIV
infection among youth (13-24 years of age) in the United States. Young African Americans also
have disproportionately high rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Therefore, the broad, long-term objective of this research is to identify interventions to
reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs among young African Americans. Entertainment-education
refers to narrative interventions designed to change behavior while providing entertainment.
Several studies have evaluated the impact of media content on HIV risk behavior. One study
found that exposure to an entertainment-education based HIV testing campaign was associated
with increases in HIV testing among sexually active teens 12 months post exposure. Sabido and
colleagues used "telenovelas" in Mexico to increase participation in a national literacy
campaign and promote birth control use. Similarly, a radio soap opera called "Twende na
Wakati" became the most popular television show in Tanzania and was highly successful in
reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom use. A narrative video
intervention study in STI clinic waiting rooms in three U.S. cities found a significant
reduction in STI re-infection among patients visiting during months when the video was shown
compared with patients visiting during months when it was not shown. Although these studies
show that entertainment-education can be a promising medium for behavior change, none of them
evaluated the efficacy of a tailored online entertainment-education intervention specifically
designed for African American youth. To address this gap in the literature, this study tested
the preliminary efficacy of an innovative, theory-based HIV risk-reduction serial drama
intervention, Reality Check, specifically tailored to young African Americans and aimed at
decreasing the frequency of condomless sex and promoting HIV testing among young adult
African Americans. We used a randomized controlled trial, allocating African Americans 18 to
24 years of age to Reality Check, or an attention-control intervention promoting physical
activity. Each intervention was delivered as a series of videos streamed online and
accessible via any Internet-capable device (e.g., smartphone, laptop or tablet). This mode of
delivery was well suited to young African Americans because high percentages of young African
Americans own and use Internet enabled mobile phones as their primary way to consume online
content. We recruited participants through Facebook and Instagram, flyers posted on college
campuses, college mailing lists, and referrals from participants. Participants completed
surveys online at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. We
hypothesized that, Reality Check would reduce the frequency of condomless sex during the
3-month post-intervention period compared with the attention-matched control group, adjusting
for baseline of the criterion.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Self-identified as black or African American, had a Facebook ID, had a smartphone with
access to the Internet, and reported having sexual intercourse in the previous 90 days
Exclusion Criteria:
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