A South African Pilot Worksite Parenting Program to Prevent HIV Among Adolescents

In South Africa, >5 million people, including many adolescents, are living with HIV. Prevalence is increasing throughout South Africa, most precipitously in the Western Cape, the site of our proposed study. The investigators propose to pilot test a multisession worksite-based program to help parents learn how to take an active role in rearing sexually healthy youth. Our specific aims are to: (1) Culturally adapt our US-developed worksite-based program for parents of adolescents to the South African context; (2) Examine whether a worksite-based program for parents of adolescents in South Africa improves the parent-child relationship, including general parent-child communication and communication about sexual health and HIV risk-reduction, as perceived by parents and adolescents; (3) Explore program effects on parents' HIV testing and sexual behaviors; and (4) Explore program effects on theoretically important psychosocial mediators of behavior change (e.g., greater self-efficacy for refusing sex and using condoms, and more perceived disadvantages of unprotected sex). The proposed research is a unique opportunity to adapt and pilot test an innovative HIV prevention intervention that promotes the health of families in a culturally acceptable and sustainable setting.

The research is being conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, the investigators conducted formative qualitative interviews with South African community members who work with adolescents and parents, who work on HIV prevention, and who hold relevant positions at worksites. The investigators used this information from key community members to culturally adapt the program. In Phase 2, the investigators are conducting a process evaluation of one intervention group of 15 parents using qualitative debriefing interviews and quantitative data. In Phase 3, the current phase, the investigators aim to conduct a pilot intervention to refine the program even further and test the evaluation methods with 60 Xhosa and Afrikaans-speaking parents and their 11-15-year-old adolescents (who will participate in the evaluation but not the program). Their outcomes will be compared to a wait-list control group of 60 Xhosa and Afrikaans-speaking parents and their 11-15-year-old adolescents.