HBCU Community Outreach Project

LTG worked for several years with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of STD Prevention (www.cdc.gov/std/dstdp/) to develop interventions to be utilized to reduce the burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.) The project began with a sole focus on women. LTG conducted background research including an extensive literature review and environmental scan as well as research with the populations. It was determined that promoting healthy relationships grounded in positive cultural norms and values and promoted to both men and women could be a valuable approach. LTG worked collaboratively with the CDC, community representatives, African American scholars and leaders as part of an SME panel, and healthy sexuality experts to develop two curricula grounded in African American culture and focused to men and women on HBCU campuses for development and sustaining of healthy-relationships. With the utilization of the curricula it is anticipated that benefits will include reduced STIs and intimate partner violence. The process and results of this work have been reported at: The American Public Health Association meeting (2013); the American Evaluation Association (2013), and the National STD Conference (2014). The curricula were piloted at three HBCUs and finalized from the results of the pilots.