Meeting Kids Where They Are At–A Substance Use and Sexual Risk Prevention Program via Telemedicine for African American Girls: Usability and Acceptability Study

Abstract

Background Rural African American youth lack access to drug and sexual risk–taking prevention programs available in more urban areas. Recent data indicate that rural youth now use substances at higher rates and at younger ages than their urban peers. Objective This study aims to evaluate the initial usability and acceptability of a low-cost, technology-based approach to delivering effective, culturally tailored, integrated substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV risk behavior prevention programs to African American female youth to inform the use of this intervention via telemedicine for rural youth. Methods Effective SUD prevention strategies and emotion regulation skills were integrated into an existing evidence-based HIV risk reduction program culturally tailored for African American female adolescents—Sisters Informing, Healing, Living, and Empowering (SIHLE)—and delivered to 39 African American female youth via group telehealth. The evaluation of the resulting program, 12-session SIHLEplus, was completed by 27 girls who also completed self-report measures that assessed sexual risk behaviors (eg, number of partners and age of sex initiation), substance use, exposure to traumatic events, and emotion regulation. Results The descriptive and qualitative results of the pilot study demonstrate the initial usability and acceptability of delivering evidence-based prevention successfully via telehealth to help address health disparities in this vulnerable population. Conclusions Although more research is needed, the findings from this study suggest that SIHLEplus has demonstrated initial usability and acceptability.