August 9, 2006 -- Program Aims to Reach Hispanic Youths to Prevent HIV

An HIV prevention program that emphasized abstinence and condom use as culturally accepted and effective methods to prevent sexually transmitted diseases succeeded in reducing the incidence of risky behaviors in Hispanic adolescents in grades 8 through 11, according to report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Heterosexual contact has been shown to be the major mode of HIV transmission among Hispanic adolescents, researchers noted, and studies have found lower condom use among Hispanic adolescents than among black or white adolescents. Called “Cuidate (Take Care of Yourself) The Hispanic Youth Health Promotion Program,” the intervention consisted of six 50-minute modules delivered on consecutive Saturdays to small, mixed-gender groups in English or Spanish. Details of the study are available in the Archives at http://jama.ama-assn.org.