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01-05-2006

Laying the Foundation for Connect to Protect ^®: A Multi-Site Community Mobilization Intervention to Reduce HIV/AIDS Incidence and Prevalence among Urban Youth

Authors: Mauri A. Ziff, Gary W. Harper, Kate S. Chutuape, Bethany Griffin Deeds, Donna Futterman, Vincent T. Francisco, Larry R. Muenz, Jonathan M. Ellen, MD, Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Intervention

Published in: Journal of Urban Health | Issue 3/2006

Abstract

Despite the considerable resources that have been dedicated to HIV prevention interventions and services over the past decade, HIV incidence among young people in the United States remains alarmingly high. One reason is that the majority of prevention efforts continue to focus solely on modifying individual behavior, even though public health research strongly suggests that changes to a community's structural elements, such as their programs, practices, and laws or policies, may result in more effective and sustainable outcomes. Connect to Protect is a multi-city community mobilization intervention that focuses on altering or creating community structural elements in ways that will ultimately reduce youth HIV incidence and prevalence. The project, which spans 6 years, is sponsored by the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions at multiple urban clinical research sites. This paper provides an overview of the study's three phases and describes key factors in setting a firm foundation for the initiation and execution of this type of undertaking. Connect to Protect's community mobilization approach to achieving structural change represents a relatively new and broad direction in HIV prevention research. To optimize opportunities for its success, time and resources must be initially placed into laying the groundwork. This includes activities such as building a strong overarching study infrastructure to ensure protocol tasks can be met across sites; tapping into local site and community expertise and knowledge; forming collaborative relationships between sites and community organizations and members; and fostering community input on and support for changes at a structural level. Failing to take steps such as these may lead to insurmountable implementation problems for an intervention of this kind.

Given the public health urgency of knowing one's HIV status, all sites have also made arrangements with local entities to offer serosurvey participants confidential HIV testing and counseling.

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Title: Laying the Foundation for Connect to Protect ®: A Multi-Site Community Mobilization Intervention to Reduce HIV/AIDS Incidence and Prevalence among Urban Youth
Authors: Mauri A. Ziff
Gary W. Harper
Kate S. Chutuape
Bethany Griffin Deeds
Donna Futterman
Vincent T. Francisco
Larry R. Muenz
Jonathan M. Ellen, MD
Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Intervention
Publication date: 01-05-2006
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Urban Health / Issue 3/2006
Print ISSN: 1099-3460
Electronic ISSN: 1468-2869
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9036-7

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Laying the Foundation for Connect to Protect ^®: A Multi-Site Community Mobilization Intervention to Reduce HIV/AIDS Incidence and Prevalence among Urban Youth

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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