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Schedule:
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Columbia A/B (Hyatt Regency Washington)
* noted as presenting author
Introduction: Young men in South Africa are at substantial risk for HIV, substance abuse and lifelong unemployment despite large investments in HIV prevention and treatment and the creation of a national vocational training program (SETA, Skills Education Training Authorities). Young men underutilize medical care, HIV testing and treatment programs, and vocational training programs. Most existing evidence-based interventions (EBI) for HIV are based on counseling models and incompatible with men’s “fight-flight” coping styles, while existing structural interventions to improve economic and health outcomes (e.g. microfinance) often exclude men. We aim to identify and preliminarily evaluate if soccer can be an engaging intervention delivery strategy to increase uptake of medical and vocational services as well as reduce substance use and HIV risk behaviors.
Methods: Young men, aged 18-25 years, were recruited from two neighborhoods, matched in size, infrastructure, housing and number of bars outside of Cape Town. Participants were invited to join a soccer league hosted by coaches trained in EBI for six months, and gained access to vocational training program for pro-social behaviors. Participants were interviewed using mobile phones at baseline and 6 months.
Results: At recruitment, no men in either condition had employment or income. During the intervention period, 48% of intervention men entered vocational training; 12 graduated, with final test scores on competency ranging from 26% to 96%. At 6 months, 28.9% of youth in the intervention condition were employed compared to 9.9% of youth in the delayed condition (x= 12.55, p < .0004). There were significant reductions in the intervention compared to the delayed condition in serious drug use (p<.07); mandrax use (.09); tik use (.03); AUDIT scores (.03); and, forcing women to have sex while intoxicated (.08). There were no significant differences across conditions on self-reported HIV testing or HIV testing when vans were at the soccer fields. While more than three quarters of men reported testing for HIV, none disclosed a seropositive serostatus. Yet, there was a significant increase in the rate of drug testing and decreasing rates of substance use on random drug tests conducted over time.
Conclusions: These findings have significant implications for using soccer to engage men in HIV prevention, especially given the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) is broadly diffusing soccer regionally. Our pilot suggests that soccer and vocational training are attractive activities but more research is needed to determine whether soccer alone or vocational training is necessary for maintaining gains.
Methods: Young men, aged 18-25 years, were recruited from two neighborhoods, matched in size, infrastructure, housing and number of bars outside of Cape Town. Participants were invited to join a soccer league hosted by coaches trained in EBI for six months, and gained access to vocational training program for pro-social behaviors. Participants were interviewed using mobile phones at baseline and 6 months.
Results: At recruitment, no men in either condition had employment or income. During the intervention period, 48% of intervention men entered vocational training; 12 graduated, with final test scores on competency ranging from 26% to 96%. At 6 months, 28.9% of youth in the intervention condition were employed compared to 9.9% of youth in the delayed condition (x= 12.55, p < .0004). There were significant reductions in the intervention compared to the delayed condition in serious drug use (p<.07); mandrax use (.09); tik use (.03); AUDIT scores (.03); and, forcing women to have sex while intoxicated (.08). There were no significant differences across conditions on self-reported HIV testing or HIV testing when vans were at the soccer fields. While more than three quarters of men reported testing for HIV, none disclosed a seropositive serostatus. Yet, there was a significant increase in the rate of drug testing and decreasing rates of substance use on random drug tests conducted over time.
Conclusions: These findings have significant implications for using soccer to engage men in HIV prevention, especially given the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) is broadly diffusing soccer regionally. Our pilot suggests that soccer and vocational training are attractive activities but more research is needed to determine whether soccer alone or vocational training is necessary for maintaining gains.