HIV Risk-Reduction Prevention Interventions Targeting African American Adolescent Women

African American young women are overwhelmingly disproportionately burdened by HIV/AIDS in the United States today. The purpose of the current systematic review was to identify the characteristics of efficacious HIV risk-reduction prevention interventions targeting African American adolescent women in order to inform future intervention development and expansion. We searched PubMed, PsychInfo, and ProQuest databases for journal articles and dissertations published between 2000 and 2015 reporting the impacts of HIV risk-reduction prevention interventions in the US targeting African American adolescent women under age 25. Twenty articles assessing the efficacy of 12 interventions were eligible for inclusion. Selected interventions represented a total of 5556 African American adolescent women and primarily drew from self-efficacy and self-empowerment-based theoretical frameworks. One intervention targeted girls under age 13; eight included participants ages 13–17; ten targeted adolescents aged 18–24 years; and five interventions included women over age 24 among their participants. Most interventions consisted of in-person knowledge and skills-based group or individual sessions led by trained African American female health professionals. Three were delivered via personal electronic devices. All programs intervened directly at the individual-level; some additionally targeted mothers, friends, or sexual partners. Overall, efficacious interventions among this population promote gender and ethnic pride, HIV risk-reduction self-efficacy, and skills building. They target multiple socio-ecological levels and tailor content to the specific age range, developmental period, and baseline behavioral characteristics of participants. However, demonstrated sustainability of program impacts to date are limited and should be addressed for program enhancements and expansions. © 2016, Springer International Publishing.