title: Impact of school-based HIV prevention program in post-conflict Liberia.
abstract: This paper presents findings of a feasibility study to adapt and evaluate the impact of an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention on sexual risk behaviors of in-school 6th grade youth in post-conflict Liberia (n = 812). The study used an attention-matched, group randomized controlled trial. Four matched pairs of elementary/middle schools in Monrovia, Liberia, were randomly assigned to either an adapted eight-module HIV prevention or a general health curriculum. Three- and nine-month impacts of the intervention on sexual risk behaviors and on mediating variables are presented. The intervention significantly impacted protective peer norms and positive condom attitudes and increased frequency of condom use at the nine-month follow-up. The intervention did not impact sexual initiation or multiple sex partnerships. Future intervention research should address the salient pressures that are unique to post-conflict settings and include longer follow-up time periods and smaller class sizes to meaningfully impact sexual initiation and multiple sex partnerships.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation, Louisville Center, Louisville, KY 40208, USA. katwood@PIRE.org
authors.forename: Katharine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Atwood
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shamblen
authors.forename: Jemee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tegli
authors.forename: Salome
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garber
authors.forename: Pearl W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Fahnbulleh
authors.forename: Prince M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Korvah
authors.forename: Moses
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolubah
authors.forename: Comfort
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mulbah-Kamara
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fulton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007988:Liberia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult