This term paper focuses on the implementation of an effective intervention, which is meant to increase the use of condoms by men as a preventive measure against HIV infection. The health issue of concern, in this case, is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which has been a problematic viral disease for the past few decades, as suggested Phair et al. (2015). After its description, HIV-1 is the most resilient and significant pathogen globally. As of 2000, there were approximately 60 million people infected with the virus, while 76% were men (Phair et al., 2015). More than 18 million people have died from HIV/AIDS, making the disease one of the leading causes of worldwide mortality (Phair et al., 2018). In most cases, HIV is transmitted from one person to another when an uninfected person gets into direct contact with infected blood, vaginal secretions, seminal fluid, or the mucosal membrane. Unprotecting sexual intercourse with an infected person may predispose someone to the risk of HIV infection. The prevalence rate of HIV infection has been on the rise for the past few years due to increased indulgence in risky sexual behaviors among the youth. Detection of newly acquired infections and extensive knowledge of the virus is paramount in the management and control of the viral epidemic. Various public health programs have been developed to create awareness of the disease and sensitize the public on effective ways to prevent HIV transmission. Other than abstinence, the use of condoms during intercourse has proved to be effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection.
A PRECEDE-PROCEED model will be used in this term paper to describe the implementation of a Positive Choice Mapping (PCM) intervention that aims to encourage condom use among men as a preventive measure against HIV infection. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model consists of nine phases, which are meant for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluation of the PCM intervention. The steps include social assessment, epidemiology assessment, ecological assessment, administrative diagnosis, implementation, evaluation, and presentation of evaluation outcomes (Green and Kreuter, 2018).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Phase 1, social assessment, involves holding social forums, developing a committee for planning the intervention, and conducting demographically diverse groups, interviews, and surveys to obtain adequate information about HIV, as suggested by Green and Kreuter (2018). This phase is also designed to assess men’s knowledge of HIV and effective preventive measures. During phase 2, epidemiological assessment, secondary epidemiological data will be collected and analyzed to identify the prevalence rate and distribution of HIV within the population. Priorities and objectives for the PCM intervention plan will be set. Phase 3, ecological assessment, involves analyzing behavioral determinants which reinforce, predispose, and enable risky sexual behavior and promiscuous lifestyles. Phase 5, administrative diagnosis, entails the assessment of resources needed for the implementation of the PCM intervention, organizational barriers, and budgetary allocations required for the intervention plan.
Implementation
Implementation is the fifth and most crucial phase of the model which seeks to design the intervention, identify the resources needed for the intervention program, and implement the intervention. Men within the community are assembled into groups of between 4-20 participants. During the first session, the participants are directed to complete a “Map of Me” -a free map sketch that highlights essential features of the self, as suggested by Czuchry et al. (2019). This session introduces the participants to node-link mapping, which helps them understand that their ideas and relationships can be spatially depicted. The practitioner will gain insights into individual experiences of the participants and the way they cognitively present their ideas through the mapping activities. The objective of this intervention is to reshape peoples’ beliefs and cognitive representations about condom use and HIV (Czuchry et al., 2019). All misconceptions and myths about HIV transmission and condom use will be corrected during the first session.
The second session in this implementation phase will involve changing the negative attitudes of the participants towards condoms. The practitioner will aim at disputing common assertions like, “Condoms make men lose their erection,” or “Latex condoms make intercourse less romantic and less pleasurable,” (Czuchry et al., 2019). After correcting such misinformed judgments, the practitioner will direct the participants to complete hybrid maps which identify potential solutions to promote the use of condoms and barriers to condom use. Group facilitators then demonstrate how condoms should be worn and how they can be used to make sex more pleasurable and romantic, as suggested by Czuchry et al. (2019). The participants may also be encouraged to use a variety of condoms, say studded, ribbed, or ultrathin latex condom during intercourse.
The third session’s main objective is to promote self-efficacy for negotiating the use of condoms during sex. According to Czuchry et al. (2019), a PowerPoint map with simulated sequential dialogue (inclusive of thoughts) between two individuals who are yet to disclose their HIV statutes should be used for this session. The groups’ participants may use a poster map to develop dialogue and thoughts which might have negative or positive outcomes, as suggested by Czuchry et al. (2019). This session will help individuals to develop their sense of self-efficacy and their negotiation skills for condom use and disclosure of status before sex.
Phase 5, process evaluation, will involve the review of process and activities of the PCM intervention to determine whether all objectives of the intervention plan have been met and whether the implementation process was completed in accordance to standard protocols. At phase 7, practitioners measure the effectiveness of the PCM intervention in increasing condom use among men. They might rely on public health records on HIV prevalence within the community after a defined period. Phase 8, outcome evaluation, will involve measurement of change with regards to the intervention plan’s objective of preventing HIV infection with the use of condoms.
References
Czuchry, M., Timpson, S., Williams, M. L., Bowen, A. M., & Ratliff, E. A. (2019). Improving condom self‐efficacy and use among individuals living with HIV: The positive choices mapping intervention. Journal of substance use , 14 (3-4), 230-239.
Green, L., & Kreuter, M. (2018). The precede–proceed model. Health promotion planning: an educational approach. 3rd ed. Mountain View (CA): Mayfield Publishing Company , 32-43.
Phair, J., Jacobson, L., Detels, R., Rinaldo, C., Saah, A., Schrager, L., & Muñoz, A. (2015). Acquired immune deficiency syndrome occurring within five years of infection with human immunodeficiency virus type-1: the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes , 5 (5), 490-496.
