TY - JOUR PY - 2022// TI - Utilizing soccer for delivery of HIV and substance use prevention for young South African men: 6-month outcomes of a cluster randomized controlled trial JO - AIDS and behavior A1 - Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane A1 - Vogel, Lodewyk A1 - Weiss, Robert E. A1 - Skiti, Zwelibanzi A1 - Stewart, Jackie A1 - Almirol, Ellen A1 - Tomlinson, Mark A1 - Rabie, Stephan SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - Young men in South Africa face the intersecting epidemics of HIV, substance use and endemic poverty. We tested the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention using soccer training to reduce the cluster of risks associated with HIV and substance use. This cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with men aged 18-29 years old in 27 neighborhoods in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. Neighborhoods were randomized to receive for 6 months either: (1) Soccer League (SL; n = 18 neighborhoods, n = 778 men) who attended soccer three times weekly (72 sessions; 94% uptake, 45.5% weekly attendance rate), combined with an HIV/substance use, cognitive-behavioral intervention; or (2) a Control Condition (CC; n = 9; 415 men) who received educational materials and referrals at 3 month intervals. The primary outcome was the number of significant changes in a cluster of outcomes including HIV-related risks, substance abuse, employment/income, mental health, violence, and community engagement. There was only one significant difference on the rapid diagnostic tests for mandrax at 6 months, an insufficient number of changes to indicate a successful intervention. A group-based behavioral intervention was ineffective in addressing multiple risk behaviors among at-risk young men, similar to the findings of several recent soccer-related interventions. Early adulthood may be too late to alter well-established patterns of risk behaviors. Clinical Trial Registration This trial was prospectively registered on 24 November 2014 with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02358226.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1090-7165 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03819-x ID - ref1 ER -