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Get the Message: Targeting Beliefs to Develop Risk Reduction Intervention Messages for African American Adolescents

  • Original Article
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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

Risk reduction interventions that promote condom use, a vital component of most HIV prevention interventions, have been successful in increasing condom use among African American adolescents. Understanding theoretical components that lead to behavior change and selecting relevant risk reduction messages remain important considerations for targeting new interventions and tailoring existing interventions. The present study sought to (1) identify the most important theoretical determinants of condom use intention in African American adolescent males and females, separately, using the integrative model of behavior prediction, and (2) identify underlying beliefs within the determinants that were good candidates for message development in similar interventions. Using 446 African American adolescents, multi-group SEM indicated that the gender-specific IM exhibited a better fit than the overall model. Specifically, the IM had a stronger capacity for predicting condom use intention and condom use behavior for adolescent boys. Using a specific criteria for message selection, specific condom use beliefs were discussed as potential candidate messages for both African American males and females.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX, 77004, USA

    Chakema Carmack

  2. Department of Psychology, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA

    Rhonda K. Lewis

  3. Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Angelica Roncancio

Authors
  1. Chakema Carmack
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  2. Rhonda K. Lewis
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  3. Angelica Roncancio
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Correspondence to Chakema Carmack.

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Carmack, C., Lewis, R.K. & Roncancio, A. Get the Message: Targeting Beliefs to Develop Risk Reduction Intervention Messages for African American Adolescents. Am J Community Psychol 55, 396–410 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-015-9719-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-015-9719-x

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