Collaborative HIV Adolescent Mental Health Program (CHAMP)
CHAMP is a manual-based program of 10--90-minute sessions delivered over 10 weekends. The sessions were designed to increase HIV knowledge and decrease stigma surrounding HIV infections; increase authoritative parenting, caregiver decision-making and caregiver monitoring of children; increase family frequency and comfort discussing hard-to-discuss subjects (e.g., sexuality and risky behaviors); increase connectedness to caregiver social networks; decrease neighborhood disorganization, and increase social control and cohesion. The manual introduces these skills through dramatic depiction in a cartoon-based storyline. The CHAMP program provides the necessary group context for caregivers to negotiate norms and practices for health-enhancing alternatives in the community.
- CHAMP was launched as a researcher--community partnership to address increasing rates of adolescent HIV/AIDS exposure in urban minority neighborhoods.
- Linking collaborators from outside and within a setting to design a program
- Creating a stakeholder advisory group to oversee program activities
- Designing programs that integrate scholarly and indigenous knowledge and perspectives relevant to a setting to shape prevention messages and activities
- Using credible messengers, such as those already connected to a setting, to implement interventions in neighborhoods
- Intervention parents showed significantly greater pre- to post- test gains in knowledge than the comparison group. For youth, no significant differences were noted.
- On average, youths and parents' answers showed a pre- to post-test increase of 27 and 8%, respectively, in accurate knowledge of transmission.
- Once recruited, more than 90% of participants completed the educational interventions.
- International HIV-prevention alliances are increasing. Such alliances are challenged by trust issues, power differentials and ideological differences.
- To enhance trust in the partnership the Study utilized cultural translators familiar with the norms of both the host and donor countries.
- Egalitarianism between host and donor organizations is critical for collaboration and requires concessions in both parties.
- Adults (over 18)
- Children (ages 2-12)