Efficacy of a home-based human immunodeficiency virus prevention video program for teens and parents.

Family-based communication about sexual behavior and sexuality is a predominate theme in the key risk reduction and service objectives for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and related issues in Healthy People 2000. These recommendations are particularly poignant for younger adolescents who are not yet sexually active and whose social orientation is primarily to family and parents. A family-centered, home-based, video program to foster parent and teen knowledge and communication regarding issues related to HIV prevention and to increase family and teen communication skills was used in an intensive field test of program efficacy. Sixty-nine families with at least one adolescent age 12 to 14 years were recruited through their primary-care physicians and were randomly assigned to either experimental (video with information and skills training) or control (video with information only) conditions in a pre-posttest with a 4-month follow-up design. Both versions of the video program resulted in substantial increases in HIV-related knowledge for parents and teens, but only the skill-training (experimental) version produced increases in knowledge of communication skills and behavioral demonstrations of family problem solving. Approaches for a broader and more effective parent-training video program and for dissemination through primary-care physicians are discussed.

Behavioral community intervention to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Peer leader modeling, posted feedback, posted goals, and a commitment raffle were used at two swimming pools to increase behaviors associated with skin cancer prevention. During the intervention condition, pool lifeguards modeled the protective behaviors by wearing sunglasses, t-shirts, and hats, using zinc oxide and sunscreen, and staying in the shade. Children and adolescents (1 to 16 years old) increased their use of two or more protective behaviors from a baseline mean of 6.5% to 26.9% during the intervention. Adults (older than 16 years) increased their protective behaviors from a baseline mean of 22% to 37.95% during the intervention. The lifeguards increased their use of all the protective behaviors from a baseline mean of 16.7% to 63.5% during intervention. Ways to improve and expand this intervention are discussed.

Altering shoppers' supermarket purchases to fit nutritional guidelines: an interactive information system.

This study reports the results of one effort to help supermarket shoppers alter food purchases to make purchases (and meals) that are lower in fat and higher in fiber. A prototype interactive information system using instructional video programs, feedback on purchases with specific goals for change, weekly programs, and the ability to track user interactions and intended purchases was evaluated. The major dependent measure was users' actual food purchases as derived from participants' highly detailed supermarket receipts. After a 5- to 7-week baseline phase, participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control condition for the 7- to 8-week intervention phase. A follow-up phase began 5 to 8 weeks after participants completed the intervention and discontinued use of the system. The results indicated that experimental participants, when compared to control participants, decreased high fat purchases and increased high fiber purchases during intervention, with evidence for some maintenance of effect in follow-up. Plans for increasing the use and impact of the system are discussed.