title: Let's Talk!, A South African worksite-based HIV prevention parenting program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  South African adolescents have high HIV risk, yet few prevention interventions are effective. Parents play a pivotal role in youths' healthy sexual development and may be at risk themselves. We tested whether Let's Talk!, a worksite-based parenting program, improves parent-child communication about HIV and sexual health and parent condom use self-efficacy and behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  We culturally adapted Let's Talk! in two languages, drawing on formative research and community stakeholder input. We then conducted a small randomized test at a large public worksite in Cape Town, South Africa. The intervention consisted of 5 weekly 2-hour group sessions for parents of youth aged 11-15. Sixty-six parents (64% female) and their 64 adolescents (41% female) completed surveys before and 1-2 weeks post-intervention; surveys assessed comfort with talking about sex, communication about 16 HIV- and sex-related topics, and parents' condom use self-efficacy and behavior. Thirty-four black African (Xhosa language) and 32 coloured (mixed-race; Afrikaans language) parent-child dyads participated. Parents were randomized to intervention (n = 34) and control (n = 32) groups; randomization was stratified by language.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate regressions indicated that the intervention significantly increased parents' comfort with talking to their adolescent about sex, b(SE) = .98(.39), p = .02, and the number of sex- and HIV-related topics discussed with their adolescent, b(SE) = 3.26(1.12), p = .005. Compared with control parents, intervention parents were more likely to discuss new sex- and HIV-related topics not discussed before the intervention, b(SE) = 2.85(.80), p <.001. The intervention significantly increased parents' self-efficacy for condom use, b(SE) = .60(.21), p = .007.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Let's Talk! holds promise for improving parent-child communication, a critical first step in preventing HIV among youth.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: laura.bogart@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bogart
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.forename: Idia B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Thurston
authors.forename: Yoesrie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toefy
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Caroline H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schuster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003906:Developing Countries; D004505:Education, Nonprofessional; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D060728:Reproductive Health / Q000193:education; D013019:South Africa; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000517:prevention & control; D017132:Workplace
keywords: Adolescents; Communication; HIV; Parents; South Africa