CULTURALLY COMPETENT/EFFECTIVE HIV/AIDS PREVENTION PROG.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the present SBIR proposal is to explore the feasibility and utility of developing three new, innovative sets of resources: (1) an Evaluation Kit consisting of researcher-oriented instruments and guidelines for integrating cultural competence into evaluation of HIV/AIDS prevention programs; (2) a Capacity-Building Technical Resource Kit consisting of practitioner-oriented resources for developing, implementing, replicating, and evaluating culturally competent HIV/AIDS prevention programs; and (3) a set of Effective Program Replication Kits containing replication materials for effective, culturally competent HIV/AIDS prevention programs for racial and ethnic minority populations. The proposed project builds on the HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Archive (HAPPA), a collection of packages containing everything needed to replicate intervention programs that have been shown effective in preventing HIV/AIDS or its risk-related behavioral antecedents. In assembling HAPPA based on evidence of program effectiveness in the published literature, archive staff discovered a dearth of minority-focused HIV/AIDS prevention programs, despite an overrepresentation of HIV/AIDS in these populations. Responding to this need, the proposed Phase I project will identify as yet unevaluated, promising minority-focused HIV/AIDS prevention programs and develop memorandums of agreement (MOAs) with approximately 12 such programs. Each MOA will contain a detailed, collaborative process and outcome evaluation plan to be implemented in Phase II. All plans will be reviewed and approved by HAPPA's Scientist Expert Advisory Panel. One pilot evaluation will be conducted in Phase I. Phase I will also develop prototypes for, and conduct usability tests of, the Evaluation Kit, the Capacity-Building Technical Resource Kit, and the new cultural competence component of the Effective Program Replication Kit. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The products to be developed will be sold to HIV/AIDS prevention programs, community-based organizations, STD clinics, drug abuse treatment centers, health educators, public health officials, and social workers around the country using specially targeted mailing lists. Replication kits from HAPPA's predecessor project-the Program Archive on Sexuality, Health & Adolescence (PASHA)-have been purchased by several hundred communities, clinics, and schools.