Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 17, 2019
Date Accepted: Jun 3, 2020
‘Meeting Kids Where They’re At’: Usability and Acceptability of a Substance Use and Sexual Risk Prevention Program via Telemedicine for African American Girls
ABSTRACT
Background:
Rural African American (AA) youth lack access to drug and sexual risk-taking prevention programs available in more urban areas. Recent data indicate rural youth now use substances at higher rates and at younger ages than their urban peers.
Objective:
This study evaluated the initial usability and acceptability of a low-cost, technology-based approach to delivering effective, culturally tailored, integrated substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV risk behavior prevention programs to African American female youth to inform the use of this intervention via telemedicine for rural youth.
Methods:
Effective SUD prevention strategies and emotion regulation skills were integrated into an existing evidence-based HIV risk reduction program culturally tailored for African American female adolescents: Sisters Informing, Healing, Living, and Empowering (SIHLE; DiClemente et al., 2004) and delivered to 39 African American female youth via group telehealth. The evaluation of the resulting program, 12- session SIHLEplus, was completed by 27 girls who also completed self-report measures that assessed sexual risk behaviors (e.g., number of partners, age of sex initiation), substance use, exposure to traumatic events, and emotion regulation.
Results:
Descriptive and qualitative results of the pilot study demonstrate the initial usability and acceptability of delivering evidence-based prevention successfully via telehealth to help address health disparities in this vulnerable population.
Conclusions:
Although more research is needed, the findings from the current study suggest SIHLEplus has demonstrated initial usability and acceptability.
Citation
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Copyright
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