Public Health

This rigorous three-arm randomized experiment tests whether an innovative multi-year parent-mediated HIV intervention, Preparing Our Sons and Daughters for Healthy Futures, reduces HIV risks among African American youth living in high-poverty urban neighborhoods. About 1500 families with 6th graders in New York City public schools are being enrolled and will be followed through 9th grade.

The MetroWest Youth Risk Behavior Survey is a ten-year initiative of the Massachusetts-based MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation to better understand and address the health needs of adolescents in the region. Surveys are being conducted biannually with middle and high school students. The first round of surveys was conducted in 2006, with over 16,000 high school students and 8,000 middle school students participating. Districts receive timely reports of their data along with technical assistance. Findings are used to identify problems, track trends, and inform local programming.

EDC has produced a dissemination package for Safe in the City, a brief video-based HIV/STD prevention intervention for STD clinics. In a large, multi-site efficacy trial, Safe in the City was found to be effective in reducing new cases of STDs among clinic patients. The intervention has been selected for national dissemination through CDC’s Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions program. EDC was a collaborating partner in the development and evaluation of this intervention.

This technical assistance center serves 10 local communities working to reduce and prevent youth substance abuse by increasing understanding and practice of evidence-based strategies and collaboration between communities. Methods include monthly trainings, regional facilitation with community leaders, e-newsletters, a Web portal and local community coaching.

EDC and SSRE are working with SADD to develop and test a youth-informed and youth-delivered social marketing campaign, as well as other program components, aimed at reducing underage drinking among high school students. Our work includes formative research with youth, parents, and school-community members needed to guide program and measurement development as well as an initial pilot test of the SADD campaign and related program efforts.

TEACH-VIP is a comprehensive violence and injury prevention and control curriculum, developed by the World Health Organization and a global network of experts, covering a wide range of topics, designed to be delivered as face-to-face training. To make this curriculum more widely available, EDC created an instructional design approach for conversion of the face-to-face exercises and materials into an electronic, self-paced format with interactive lessons for the World Wide Web and CD-ROM.

EDC and UNESCO’s Office for the Caribbean launched the Advocacy and Leadership campaign in three Caribbean countries: Belize, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Its mission is to influence decision makers in the education sector to strengthen their response regarding HIV/AIDS.