# Testing the Efficacy of Safe South Africa: An Intervention to Prevent HIV Risk and Interpersonal Violence Among Adolescent Boys

> **NIH NIH R01** · AMERICAN UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $684,756

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Adolescence presents an ideal developmental transition period for an integrated intervention targeting prevention
of HIV risk behaviors and intimate partner violence (IPV), including sexual violence. Adolescent boys in particular
are at high risk for HIV and perpetration of IPV. Yet, few behavioral interventions integrate HIV-IPV prevention
and are tailored for the unique developmental needs of adolescent boys. In this study, we build on previous
scientific work that demonstrated the acceptability and feasibility of Safe South Africa, an integrated HIV-IPV
intervention that uses a developmentally- and gender-tailored approach grounded in social norms theory to
prevent adolescent HIV risk behavior and IPV. We work in South Africa, a country with the largest HIV epidemic
and some of the highest rates of IPV in the world. We propose the following specific aims: (1) Tailoring Safe
South Africa intervention content to address the unique behavioral and social norms data that drives HIV and
IPV behaviors among boys in their socioecological environments. (2) Testing the efficacy of the Safe South
Africa intervention in preventing HIV/STIs and reducing IPV frequency among N=836 adolescent boys (ages 15-
17), with our working hypothesis that the intervention, relative to the usual care condition, will show (a) lower
incidence of any STI (including HIV); and (b) reductions in IPV perpetration frequency and decreased
endorsement of IPV supportive attitudes. (3) Identifying barriers and facilitators to implementing Safe South
Africa within a school setting to provide data for future dissemination (presuming Safe South Africa is
efficacious). We examine processes critical to future dissemination through (a) fidelity data examining adherence
to core active components of the standardized intervention manual guiding consistent delivery of the intervention;
and (b) qualitative data on the experience during and post-implementation from adolescents and stakeholders
using N=20 in-depth interviews.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10700232
- **Project number:** 1R01MH129161-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Caroline Chia Kuo
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $684,756
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10700232

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10700232, Testing the Efficacy of Safe South Africa: An Intervention to Prevent HIV Risk and Interpersonal Violence Among Adolescent Boys (1R01MH129161-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10700232. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*