Sunday, February 14, 2016

Color It Real: A Program to Increase Condom Use and Reduce Substance Abuse and Perceived Stress

Few interventions have targeted perceived stress as a co-occurring construct central to substance use and subsequent HIV/AIDS risk reduction among African American urban young adults. 

The Color It Real Program was a seven session, weekly administered age-specific and culturally-tailored intervention designed to provide substance abuse and HIV education and reduce perceived stress among African Americans ages 18 to 24 in Atlanta, GA. Effectiveness was assessed through a quasi-experimental study design that consisted of intervention (n = 122) and comparison (n = 70) groups completing a pre- and post-intervention survey. 

A series of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were used to assess pre- to post-intervention changes between study groups. For intervention participants, perceived stress levels were significantly reduced by the end of the intervention (t(70) = 2.38, p = 0.020), condom use at last sexual encounter significantly increased (F = 4.43, p = 0.0360), intervention participants were significantly less likely to drink five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting (F = 5.10, p = 0.0245), and to use clean needles when injecting the drug (F = 36.99, p = 0.0001). 

This study is among the first of its kind to incorporate stress management as an integral approach to HIV/SA prevention. The program has implications for the design of other community-based, holistic approaches to addressing substance use and risky behaviors for young adults.

Below:  Perceived Stress Scale Composite Score for Intervention and Comparison Group



Purchase full article at: 

1Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, 720 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA;  ude.msm@ibotnikat
2Wholistic Stress Control Institute, Incorporated, 2545 Benjamin E Mays Drive, Atlanta, GA 30311, USA;  moc.1citsilohw@tj (J.T.); moc.1citsilohw@lks (S.L.);  moc.liamtoh@notslawnivlek (K.W.);  moc.loa@aannemaidl (L.M.-N.)
3McKing Consulting Corporation, 2900 Chamblee Tucker Road, Building 10, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA;  ude.msm@rellima
*Correspondence:  ude.msm@renllezt; Tel.: +1-404-756-8833; Fax: +1-404-752-1707
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016 Jan; 13(1): 51. Published online 2015 Dec 22. doi:  10.3390/ijerph13010051




No comments:

Post a Comment