Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES/VOCES)

Challenge

Programs intended to prevent HIV have historically struggled to reach those at greatest risk, including minorities and medically underserved groups. Often times, this is due to agencies’ lack of resources and time to implement complex interventions.

A culturally relevant, low-intensity approach, Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES/VOCES) is one of EDC’s flagship HIV prevention programs. The intervention was one of the first to be disseminated nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it is supported by evidence of effectiveness in reducing risk behaviors as well as sexually transmitted infections.

Key Activities

VOICES/VOCES activities included the following:

Designed a clinic-based, single-group session intervention that uses video and small group discussion to model and address sexual safety, condom use, and negotiation strategies among heterosexual African American and Latino men and women at high risk for acquiring an STD or HIV
Supported implementation of the intervention through training and technical assistance activities
Conducted an evaluation to examine the impact of the VOICES/VOCES intervention

Impact

VOICES/VOCES trainings reached over 400 agencies and thousands of individuals.
The program was the catalyst for the development of a new generation of targeted, brief HIV prevention initiatives that are still being used today in health clinics across the country.