SISTA: Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics about AIDS
This group-level, gender- and culturally- relevant intervention, is designed to increase condom use with African American women. Five peer-led group sessions are conducted that focus on ethnic and gender pride, HIV knowledge, and skills training around sexual risk reduction behaviors and decision making. The intervention is based on Social Learning theory as well as the theory of Gender and Power.
The SISTA project specifically targets sexually active African-American women.
Research and Development
DiClemente, R.J., Wingood, G.M. (1995). A randomized controlled trial of an HIV sexual risk reduction intervention for young African-American women. Journal of the American Medical Association,
274 (16): 1271-6.
SISTA Webinars
CDC will be conducting a series of 12 regional SISTA webinars to provide an overview of the revisions and enhancements to the SISTA materials. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) will be sending invitation letters for the SISTA webinars to those who have attended a SISTA Training of Facilitators or Training-of-Trainers prior to April 2008. Several webinars will be offered regionally over the next few months. For example, those in New York may be invited to a webinar for the Northeast region, whereas those in California will be invited to another webinar for that region. Those who attend the webinar will be provided information on how to receive the revised materials. For further information on upcoming webinars, please contact Morgan Mercer at mmercer@aed.org or (202) 884-8659.
New SISTA Resource
The Resource Guide for Adapting SISTA for Latinas
The Resource Guide for Adapting SISTA for Latinas is available for download at http://www.apa.org/pi/aids/bssv.html.
This guide was created to provide practical technical assistance and resources to staff of community-based organizations who want to use the Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA) intervention with Latina populations. The Resource Guide for Adapting SISTA for Latinas (Guide) was developed over the course of three years by the American Psychological Association (APA) Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer (BSSV) Program in collaboration with staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BSSV Program is funded by CDC to provide capacity-building assistance (CBA) for community-based organizations (CBOs), health departments, and HIV prevention community planning groups (CPGs).
Program Review Panel Information
The CDC requires all CDC-funded agencies using the SISTA intervention to identify, or establish, and utilize a Program Review Panel and complete Form 0.1113 to document this activity. The intervention researchers and developers are not involved in this activity. This is a CDC requirement for their grantees, and all questions in this regard should be directed to your agency's CDC Project Officer or to the health department funding your agency's implementation of the intervention.
The Program Review Panel guidelines, instructions for completion of Form 0.113, and the form itself are available under the Related Links section of this website.
CDC Policy on Youth Peer Outreach Workers
CDC funded (directly or indirectly) agencies using youth (either paid or volunteer) in program outreach activities, it is very important that said organizations use caution and judgment in the venues/situations where youth workers are placed. Agencies should give careful consideration to the "age appropriateness" of the activity or venue. Additionally, agencies should comply with all relevant laws and regulations regarding entrance into adult establishments/environments. Laws and curfews should be clearly outlined in required safety protocols developed and implemented by agencies directly and indirectly funded by CDC.
If you have specific questions, please contact your CDC project officer.
