Web-Based Middle School HIV Prevention Curricula: Aspiring for Reach and Impact

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based HIV, sexually transmitted infection (STI), and pregnancy prevention curriculum as a stand alone intervention for 8th grade students in a large urban school district. This web-based curriculum will be adapted from the computer-based component of an existing successful prevention program, It's Your Game…Keep it Real, (IYG) but will be enhanced to include critical elements from the IYG classroom component. The primary hypothesis to be tested is: (1) students who receive the web-based curriculum will delay sexual activity relative to those who receive standard care. The major dependent variable is the proportion of students initiating sexual activity (vaginal, oral, or anal sex). Secondary hypotheses will examine the effect of the web-based curriculum on specific types of sex (e.g., vaginal, oral, anal) and psychosocial variables such as students' intentions, knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes, and perceived norms related to sexual risk-taking behavior. Secondary hypotheses will also examine the effect of the intervention on the proportion of students who are sexually active, number of times students engage in unprotected sexual intercourse, and students' number of sexual partners.