title: Effects of a family intervention in reducing HIV risk behaviors among high-risk Hispanic adolescents: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the efficacy of a family intervention in reducing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors among Hispanic delinquent adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Miami-Dade County Public School System and Miami-Dade County's Department of Juvenile Services, Florida.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 242 Hispanic delinquent youth aged 12 to 17 years and their primary caregivers completed outcome assessments at baseline and 3 months after intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomized to either Familias Unidas (120 participants), a Hispanic-specific, family intervention designed to reduce HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic youth, or a community practice control condition (122 participants).
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported measures included unprotected sexual behavior, engaging in sex while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, number of sexual partners, and incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. Family functioning (eg, parent-adolescent communication, positive parenting, and parental monitoring) was also assessed via self-report measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with community practice, Familias Unidas was efficacious in increasing condom use during vaginal and anal sex during the past 90 days, reducing the number of days adolescents were under the influence of drugs or alcohol and had sex without a condom, reducing sexual partners, and preventing unprotected anal sex at the last sexual intercourse. Familias Unidas was also efficacious, relative to community practice, in increasing family functioning and most notably in increasing parent-adolescent communication and positive parenting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that culturally tailored, family-centered prevention interventions may be appropriate and efficacious in reducing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic delinquent adolescents.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01257022.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, FL 33163, USA. GPrado@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pantin
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cordova
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.forename: Maria-Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Velazquez
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calfee
authors.forename: Shandey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malcolm
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arzon
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Villamar
authors.forename: Giselle Leon
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.forename: C Hendricks
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Yannine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Estrada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data