Research Brief: Community Consultation to Develop an Acceptable and Effective Adolescent HIV Prevention Intervention

HIV prevention for adolescents is urgently needed in Africa, but interventions have been slow to develop because of controversies about sex education. In this report the authors describe a four-step process used to develop a culturally and developmentally appropriate adolescent HIV prevention program for communities in rural Malawi. This is the final component of a 2-year ongoing adult HIV prevention program in Malawi. First the authors identified the risky behaviors of rural adolescents as well as cultural, developmental, and contextual factors. Next they consulted the community regarding how to use this information effectively and acceptably. Then an existing intervention was adapted based on this information. Finally, the authors piloted the intervention and made modifications based on lessons learned. This process provides a systematic way to consult with the community, thereby jointly enriching understanding, engaging the issues, and promoting support for an intervention program.

Key words: HIV prevention, community collaboration, adolescents, cultural factors