title: What HIV programs work for adolescent girls?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescent girls face unique challenges in reducing their risk of acquiring HIV because of gender inequalities, but much of HIV programming and evaluation lacks a specific focus on female adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article, based on a review of 150 studies and evaluations from 2001 to June 2013, reviews evidence on programming for adolescents that is effective for girls or could be adapted to be effective for girls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The evidence suggests specific interventions for adolescent girls across 3 critical areas: (1) an enabling environment, including keeping girls in school, promoting gender equity, strengthening protective legal norms, and reducing gender-based violence; (2) information and service needs, including provision of age-appropriate comprehensive sex education, increasing knowledge about and access to information and services, and expanding harm reduction programs for adolescent girls who inject drugs; and (3) social support, including promoting caring relationships with adults and providing support for adolescent female orphans and vulnerable children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Numerous gaps remain in evidence-based programming for adolescent girls, including a lack of sex- and age-disaggregated data and the fact that many programs are not explicitly designed or evaluated with adolescents in mind. However, evidence reinforces bolstering critical areas such as education, services, and support for adolescent girls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article contributes to the growing body of literature on HIV and adolescent girls and reviews the vulnerabilities of girls, articulates the challenges of programming, develops a framework for addressing the needs of girls, and reviews the evidence for successful programming for adolescent girls.
authors.affiliation: *Reproductive Health Program Population Council, Washington, DC; †What Works Association, Takoma Park, MD; ‡What Works Association, New York, NY; §Center for Policy and Advocacy, Health Policy Project, Futures Group, Washington, DC; and **Consultant in Epidemiology and Occupational Health (CEOH), Bethesda, MD and former intern, Center for Policy and Advocacy, Health Policy Project, Futures Group, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hardee
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Croce-Galis
authors.forename: Nana Ama
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Afari-Dwamena
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D054540:Child, Orphaned; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011902:Rape; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D055815:Young Adult