Determinants of Adolescent Female Attendance at an HIV Risk Reduction Program

This study investigated attendance at an HIV-prevention randomized controlled trial for urban adolescent females. The intervention included four 2-hour sessions that were held at convenient community-based locations. Participants were recruited from reproductive and general health care clinics, as well as youth development programs. Of the 744 girls who consented to participate in the research study, 86% (n = 640) attended one or more of the risk reduction sessions, but 14% (n = 104) did not attend any sessions. Data analyses indicated that girls who attended were more likely to be younger, African American, and non-Hispanic. They also reported earlier sexual debut and more recent sexual partners. Results indicated that sexual risk reduction interventions are attractive to many at-risk female adolescents. Strategies to improve attendance are described for this vulnerable population subgroup.

Key words: adolescent girls, HIV prevention, intervention attendance, sexual risk