Longitudinal Associations Between HIV Risk Reduction and Out-of-School Time Program Participation

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the longitudinal associations between several variables assessing positive youth development and HIV risk-reduction practices. Participants were 329 youth enrolled in out-of-school time programs in New York City. Longitudinal data were collected in three waves during 2008-2009 (baseline, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up). Because of the nested nature of the data, multivariate analyses were performed using multilevel models. At baseline, HIV risk reduction was associated with female gender, greater individual-level program participation, and greater school connectedness. Over time, HIV risk reduction was associated with program-level participation: Individuals in groups with program-level participation scores 1 standard deviation below the average showed significant declines in risk reduction practices over the 1-year study period compared with individuals in more participatory programs. This study provides support for the out-of-school environment as an important context for sustaining HIV risk reduction and positive health promotion practices.