Lauby, J. L., LaPollo, A. B., Herbst, J. H., Painter, T. M., Batson, H., Pierre, A. & Milnamow, M. (October 2010). Preventing AIDS through Live Movement and Sound: Efficacy of a Theater-Based HIV Prevention Intervention Delivered to High-Risk Male Adolescents in Juvenile Justice Settings. AIDS Education and Prevention, 22(5), 402–416.
Author Affiliations: Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia (Lauby, LaPolllo, Batson, Pierre, Milnamow); Prevention Research Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (Herbst, Painter)
Artforms: Movement, sound, theater
Program: Preventing AIDS through Live Movement and Sound (PALMS) Program Description: PALMS is a theater-based HIV prevention intervention designed for groups of 8 to 20 adolescents and led by a trained health educator. Trained actors portray dramatic performances of real-life situations often faced by adolescents and young adults. Games and role-playing exercises provide opportunities for participants to learn and practice communication and condom-use skills.
Program (Study) Location: Two juvenile justice facilities, Philadelphia, PA
Study Published: 2010
Participant Type: Institutionalized juvenile male offenders aged 12-18
Sample Size: 298
Data Type: Quantitative: nonrandomized concurrent comparison group design; assessment data collected at baseline immediately after the intervention Evaluation Focus: Effect of intervention on HIV and condom-use knowledge, changes in attitude towards HIV testing and persons living with HIV/AIDS, changes in condom use, changes in number of sexual partners (p. 404).
Summary of Impact: At 6-month follow-up, PALMS participants demonstrated greater increases in HIV and condom use knowledge and improved attitudes toward HIV testing and toward persons living with HIV/AIDS than did those in the comparison condition. PALMS participants were also significantly more likely to use a condom during their last sexual contact with a non-main female partner than comparison participants.
KEYWORDS: AIDS, condom use, drama, HIV, HIV testing, juvenile, movement, Preventing AIDS through Live Movement and Sound sound, theater, youth
Prison Arts Resource Project 