Community-Engaged Intervention Development: Demonstration of Culturally Grounded Adaptation of Videos for Evidence-Based Intervention

Introduction:  Iowa State University’s Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14) is an evidence-based program (EBP) for youth that engages their families in preventing substance abuse. The program teaches specific parenting techniques and youth skills proven to reduce substance abuse among early teens. SFP 10-14 relies heavily on videos to deliver skills training, role-model skills application, and foster discussion among both parents and youth. In this project, “Culturally grounded substance use prevention for American Indian families” (funded under PAR-11-346 Interventions for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Native American Populations), we adapted SFP 10-14 for use on a Northern Plains American Indian reservation, creating the Thiwahe Gluwas’akapi (TG) program.  The purpose of this paper is to describe the community-engaged process undertaken to adapt the SFP 10-14 videos for use with Northern Plains youth and families, grounding them in local culture while retaining the core messages critical to the effectiveness of SFP 10-14. 

Methods:  Our approach to the adaptation of the videos was to engage community partners early and often, applying the principles of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR).  The goal of the adaptation process was to find balance between fidelity to SFP 10-14 and fidelity to local culture.  This process was guided by extensive input from community members, both working closely with a community advisory board made up of cultural leaders, youth workers, educators, and substance abuse counselors and by gathering input from a broader group of community members through focus groups and interviews.  We also worked closely with a community-based acting group to refine scripts to reflect local culture while retaining core intervention messages. Throughout the process, we worked with the SFP 10-14 program staff to ensure that changes did not alter the core messages communicated in the videos.

Results:  Specific examples of adaptations made to video scripts will be shared, documenting the reasons for the changes and demonstrating how cultural context was accommodated while retaining fidelity to the SFP 10-14 core components.

Conclusion: The rigorous process used to adapt SFP 10-14 for a Northern Plains reservation community was carried through the process of adapting the videos used to help deliver the intervention.  The specific process used in the video adaptation provide a clear case example of both the importance and feasibility of rigorous adaptation of an EBP to enhance cultural fit and effectiveness of the intervention.