Evidence-Based Programs
Respeto/Proteger
Overview of the Intervention
Respeto/Proteger is a six-session, 12-hour HIV prevention program for young Latino parents with children who are at least three months of age. The program builds on feelings of parental protectiveness and the emotional attachment between a parent and a child to positively affect parental behavior. The curriculum integrates basic instruction in HIV awareness and prevention with culturally relevant discussions and activities on fatherhood, rites of passage, decision making, and responsibility. The program is delivered to small groups of couples in community and clinic settings. Couples are defined as individuals who have been involved in a romantic relationship for at least three months. The male partner is not required to be the child’s biological father.
Intervention Components
Component 1: Small-Group Couples Curriculum
The six-session curriculum is led by teams of male and female facilitators who practice the espejo (mirror) process of instruction, which emphasizes group discussion and sharing of personal experiences. The six sessions are organized as follows:
Theoretical Framework
Study Citation: Lesser, J., Koniak-Griffin, D., Huang, R., Takayanagi, S., & Cumberland, W. G. (2009). Parental protectiveness and unprotected sexual activity among Latino adolescent mothers and fathers. AIDS Education & Prevention, 21, 88-102.
Study setting: Participants were recruited from 28 Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) sites, eight alternative schools, two community-based organizations, and one community-based clinic in Los Angeles County, California. Sessions were held in community locations and health clinics.
Study Sample: 336 high-risk mothers and fathers who were involved in a romantic relationship
Study Design: Cluster randomized trial. Eighty-four couples were randomly selected to participate in the program and 86 were randomly assigned to a control group that received a 90-minute didactic HIV prevention curriculum. Data were collected immediately before and after the six-week intervention and via follow-up surveys conducted three and six months later.
Study Rating: The study met the review criteria for a moderate study rating. It did not meet the review criteria for a high study rating because the rate of sample attrition was high for the six-month follow-up survey.
Study Findings:
Across the baseline, three-month follow-up, and six-month follow-up surveys:
Curriculum Materials
Information on curriculum materials is not currently available.
Training and TA: Facilitators require training on the cultural knowledge and sensitivity TA required by the program. They also receive training in the espejo (mirror) instruction technique, in which leaders share their own personal experiences to convey ideas as opposed to delivering lectures.