Technology-based Training Tool for an Empirically- Supported Group-Based HIV and STI Prevention Intervention for Juvenile Offenders

Summary AbstractYouth under ageinvolved in the criminal justice system are disproportionately minorities and affected by substance abusemental illnessand HIV STIMost young offenders are released on community supervision without the STImental healthor substance use screeningdiagnosisand treatment afforded detained youthdespite similar rates of risk behaviorTheir long term trajectory is poorthe costs to society are highand lasting effects on community well being and individual employment prospects are profoundAltering this trajectory is a public health priorityPreventing HIV Among TeensPHATLife is an evidence based program that meets the need in juvenile justice to address youthsandaposco morbid health problemsThe nextand perhaps most criticalstep in ensuring that this decade long line of research produces actualreal world improvements in the lives of probation youth is to develop a PHAT Life training strategy that is effectivecost effectiveand sustainable within juvenile justice settingsThis private public collaboration between Oregon Research Behavioral Intervention Strategies and the University of Illinois at Chicago will leverage existing resources and competencies to create a commercially viable technology based training tool for PHAT Life with great potential for sustainability and cost effectivenessBuilding on PHAT Lifeandapos s past researchin this SBIR Phase I research we willadevelop and evaluate a prototype interactive web browser and mobile app multimedia training tool to enable para professionalse ghealth educatorsprobation staffyouth care staffto deliver PHAT Life to youth on probationandbidentify additional training materials needed to address facilitator gapse gHIV STI knowledgemanaging group dynamicsThe proposed technology based training tool should be highly sustainablebecause itarelies onindigenouspersonnel to deliver the interventionbis likely to prove cost effective since we will utilize a technology that can deliver training at scaleandcwill improve fidelity both by leveraging technology to provide consistent training experiences to para professionals and by including a computer mediated video recorded observation of group sessions that will be reviewed and graded by an expert trainer to increase the likelihood of intervention implementation fidelity Project NarrativeThis application will develop a commercially viable technology based training tool for Preventing HIV Among TeensPHATLifean evidence basedinnovative HIV STIsubstance useand mental health intervention for juvenile offendersThe training tool will includeainteractive web browser and mobile app multimedia content to enable para professionalse ghealth educatorsprobation staffyouth care staffto deliver PHAT Life to youth on probationandbidentify additional training materials needed to address facilitator gapse gHIV STI knowledgemanaging group dynamicsOnce developedthe training tool will be field tested for usability and acceptability with a group ofindigenouspersonnel as facilitators in trainingparticipants will rate the level of support neededconfidence in the systemand ease of use at each stage in the developmentinitiationand maintenance of the system