Expanding HIV Testing and Prevention to Reach Vulnerable Young Women

The purpose of this study was to test a gender-focused comprehensive HIV testing and counselling (HTC) program, the Young Women's Health CoOp (YWHC) with a standard HTC program in 24 disadvantaged communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The researchers conducted community-level randomization across the 24 communities with balanced recruitment from predominantly Black African and predominantly Coloured communities. The aims of the study were: Aim 1. To train and evaluate adolescent peer role models to conduct community outreach with established outreach workers to recruit 500 out-of-school, substance-using female adolescents aged 16 to 19 for HIV testing and counseling (HTC) and to co-facilitate a gender-focused comprehensive HTC program. Aim 2. To test the efficacy of a young women's gender-focused comprehensive HTC program for reducing substance use, victimization, and sexual risk behavior (primary outcomes) and improving access to effective treatment and support services through linkages to care (substance abuse treatment, HIV, sexually transmitted infections [STIs], antenatal and reproductive health as secondary outcomes) relative to standard HTC for adolescent females. The Young Women's Health CoOp has been adapted from the South African Women's Health CoOp (WHC) and the North Carolina Young Women's CoOp (YWC) which was found acceptable in focus groups and maintained all the core elements of the evidence-based intervention. For this study, the intervention was co-facilitated by trained staff from the local communities. The intervention consisted of two 1.5-hour group workshops (sessions), each having several modules that are usually administered a week apart: Workshop 1: Developmental Issues and Alcohol and Other Drugs; Gender, Problem-Solving and Conflict Negotiation, Violence and Values and Becoming a Powerful Young Woman: and Workshop 2: STIs, HIV/AIDS, Prevention, Condoms and Role-play. After each session, each participant developed a risk-reduction personalized action plan (PAP). To maintain PAP goals and reduce decay of intervention effects over time, the staff conducted case management to help participants attain these personal goals. Participants completed baseline, 6-month follow-up and 12-month follow-up assessments, which included a survey and biological testing for substance use, pregnancy and HIV.