Abstract Book Vol. 2 [International Conference on AIDS (14th: 2002: Barcelona, Spain)]

614 Abstracts ThPeF8110-ThPeF8114

XIV International AIDS Conference

adolescent and young adult men (ages 14-23) who have sex with men. SMAAC
offers HIV prevention case management, support groups, psycho-education
groups and social events. SMAAC also offers substance abuse counseling and
HIV testing and counseling. Peer treatment advocacy is offered to those who are
HIV positive. SMAAC participants also operate Sweeties, a cafe that offers room
for the youth to socialize as well as develop employable skills To date SMAAC
has reached over 1200 clients. A key component of SMAAC programs is having
African-American sexual minority youth staff the program and serve on its board
of directors.
Lessons learned: A multi-purpose youth center incorporating youth in active role
in program design can effectively reach African-American sexual minority youths.
Recommendations: The SMAAC youth model may be replicated in other cities
to provide a friendly venue for offering HIV services for this population.
Presenting author: Rani Eversley, Department of Social and Behavioral, Sciences, Box 0612, San Francisco, CA, 94143, United States, Tel.: [phone],
Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF8110 Safety Seven Project
S.K. Cheng, S.C.V Kwong, L.W.A. Chu, S.S. Lee, K. Low, C. Wong. Red Ribbon
Centre, Integrated Treatment Centre, 8/F, Kowloon Bay Health Centre, 9 Kai Yan
Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Description: Seven topics were: (1) condom & sex; (2) say no to drug; (3) HIV
test & pregnancy; (4) blood donation & HIV testing; (5) hotline information; (6)
managing HIV early; and (7) facts and myths. This unique project used simulated
situations relevant to many young peoples' experience to bring out the messages.
The campaign consisted of a core project (seven short drama played by Miss
Miriam Yeung Chin-wah, a hit singer and also the UNAIDS Hong Kong Ambassador, on a radio broadcast together with archive access on the internet), a comic
book series of the drama, and corresponding publicity activities (Advertisement
in magazine, in public transport, in digital display board, at bus stop shelters, and
printed posters). A built-in evaluation through the use of telephone survey was
conducted afterwards.
Lessons learned: (1) Good popularity: 84.4% of the respondents gave high ratings to the campaign. (2) 64.4% remembered that Miriam Yeung was involved.
Use of popular figure was considered an effective means of conveying messages
to raise public awareness. (3) Because of technical and administrative reasons,
we could not obtain rating of the radio programme, but the increased number of
hits from the websites indicated increased awareness.
Recommendations: Apart from using the traditional channel in communicating
HIV/AIDS, innovative media such as internet and comic were good alternatives in
conveying AIDS messages to the youth. Using animation, video, interactive role
play games on the web can serve as essential tools for conveying such messages. Radio and internet were effective means to promote HIV/AIDS prevention.
Presenting author: So Kwan Cheng, Integrated Treatment Centre, 8/F, Kowloon
Bay Health Centre, 9 Kai Yan Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Tel.: +(852) 2116
2898, Fax: +(852) 2117 0812, E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF8111 Reproductive health games: an innovative,
behavioral and social intervention for adolescents
and youth
M. Akaiku, E. Inetianbor, E. Effiong. Nigeria Youth AIDS Programme, 9 Adebola
Street, Off Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria
Background: By nature the youth are active, inquisitive, ambitious, experimental and oftentimes display an insatiable quest for knowledge. They appeal to and
learn from about 70% of what they see, feel/touch and relate with. In an intervention study carried out in a primary target community called Shitta, with a population of about 50,000 where 33% are youth, certain health and socioeconomic
consequences and the youth were as a result sexually active and exposed to drug
use/abuse; therefore social behavior change communication strategies designed.
Method: A survey of the different surface games that appeal to young people revealed among others monopoly game, snakes &ladders, and scrabble and were
adapted and given reproductive health, HIV/AIDS/STIs undertones. New games
were developed with corresponding rules to enable the young player master and
teach the game with ease. A pretest was carried out among a total of about 650
in school and out of school youth with age range 10-24 years.
Results: The games appealed to the young mind thereby increasing the chances
for behavior change, improved understanding of HIV and how to prevent themselves from being infected, from the social and cultural perspectives. On the
average over 90% of the youth who participated in the pretest approved of the
reproductive health games as concise prevention science approach targeted at
behavior and social change.
Conclusion: "HIV/AIDS is not only a health issue but is also a developmental
& socioeconomic issue" (Nigeria National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA),
2001, only multi- theoretic, strategic and practical approaches would be able to

stem down the trend.
Presenting author: Mana Akaiku, 9 Adebola Street, Off Adeniran Ogunsanya
Street, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: makaiku @ hotmail.com

ThPeF8112 Acceptability of "Partner Testing" by students in
higher institutions of learning in Ibadan, Nigeria
P.J. Chattad. Polyclinic Sende, c/o Mr. Njende John Chattad, B.R 30701,
Yaounde, Cameroon, Cameroon
Background: The main cause of the rapid spread of HIV infection among Nigerian youth is the fact that less than 10% know their HIV status and less than
45% of the sexually active youth at risk of HIV infection use the condom, thereby
making the few HIV positive persons become inadvertent killers. "Partner Testing"
(testing of prospective sex partners for HIV before sexual intercourse in premarital and marital relationships) if accepted and practiced by Nigerian youth could
significantly reduce the risk of HIV infection.
Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 1000
males and females (43% and 57% respectively) in higher institutions of learning
in Ibadan, Nigeria to investigate HIV/AIDS knowledge, sexual behavioural practices and the acceptability of Partner Testing.
Results: Results revealed a good knowledge of HIV/AIDS issues but only 46.5%
males and 68.4% females knew the difference between an HIV carrier and an
AIDS patients. Condom use was low and inconsistent (48.1% and 27% for sexually active males and females respectively). Socio-cultural, conceptual and user
practice related problems were reported. A total of 908 (90.8%) students accepted Partner Testing and the same number volunteered for HIV testing. Fifty
(5.5%) tested positive.
Conclusions: Partner Testing was accepted but follow up studies need to be
conducted to investigate how effective it could be as a safer sex practice.
Presenting author: Patrick Joseph Chattad, c/o Mr. Njende John Chattad, B.P.
30701, Yaounde, Cameroon, Cameroon, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone]
22, E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF8113 Sexual initiation among adolescents: Does the age
of first partners matter?
S. Feist-Price1, A. Ebreo2, C. Edge1, R.S. Zimmerman3. 1University of
Kentucky, Lexington, KY United States; 2Institute for Research on Race & Public
Policy, Chicago, United States; 3 University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
Background: Understanding issues associated with sexual risk taking behavior
among adolescents is necessary in order to eliminate or minimize the risks that
these factors pose. First sexual intercourse is a very important part of the myriad
of factors associated with sexual risk taking behavior.
Methods: Data for the present study were derived from a panel survey of 2,949
students from seventeen high schools located in two midwestern cities. The purpose of the longitudinal study was to examine the effectiveness of several shcool
and media-based HIV and pregnancy prevention curricula. Only respondents indicating they had ever had sexual intercourse were included in the sample. The
sample consisted of 52.8% female and 47.2% mae; 49% European American,
35.8% African Amerian, 7.5% Hispanic and 7.7% were mixed race. Over half
(52.5%) of participants were age 14, while 35.7% were age 15, and 11% were 16
or older. Of the 45% of participants reporting having had sex, 70% stated sexual
initiation at age 13 or 14.
Results: Males most likely to engage in their initial sexual experience with an
older partner were European American. Also, males with older first sexual partners reported a higher frequency of substance use before sex. Males having a
first sexual partner close in age or younger reported a greater motivation and
intention to use condoms during sex and greater self-effacacy to use a condom
correctly. African American females were more likely to engage in their initial sexual experience with an older partner. Females with older first partners were more
likely to report convincing another person to have sex. When partners were closer
in age females reported greater motivation to avoid pregnancy.
Conclusions: Designing risk reduction and prevention programs aimed at educating youth on sexual risks, the advantages of delaying sexual activity, and sexual delay tactics and negotiation skills may help decrease risky sexual behaviors.
Presenting author: Sonja Feist-Price, 224 Taylor Ed. Bldg., Dept. of Special
Ed. & Rehab. Coun., University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0001, United
States, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: smfeis
@pop.uky.edu
ThPeF8114 Promoting involvement of Adolescents as peer
Educators in different parts of the community to
increase the level of HIV/AIDS awareness
R. Saxena1, A. Purohit', A. Haag2, J. Mora3. 1AFXB Rajasthan Society, 90-B,
Gopal Bari, Jaipur,; 2AFXB US Foundation, Boston, United States; 3FXB US
Foundation, Boston, United States
Issues: Adolescents in Rajasthan are a vulnerable group for HIV infection due to
their lack of openness in talking about sex and HIV risk factors. Also, some of the

existing programs intended to educate the youth are not youth friendly, thus discouraging adolescents from asking questions and dealing with sexual issues. In
response to this problem, AFXB started several HIV/AIDS awareness programs
in different sectors in urban and rural settings of Rajasthan.
Description: AFXB's main approach has been to conduct youth friendly
HIV/AIDS awareness programs among adolescents and students in Rajasthan.
We introduced the concept of question banks in schools. This program allows students to ask questions and receive answers about sexual issues anonymously.