A Technology-Based Training Tool for a Health Promotion and Sex Education Program for Justice-Involved Youth: Development and Usability Study

Implementation Strategies for Digital HIV Prevention and Care Interventions for Youth: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Despite the proliferation of evidence-based digital HIV prevention and care interventions for youth globally, their implementation remains suboptimal. This scoping review aimed to identify implementation strategies used to deliver digital HIV interventions to youth.

RECENT FINDINGS

We reviewed studies published in PubMed between 2018-2024 that described the development or use of implementation strategies for digital HIV interventions for youth. We identified eight studies that reported on implementation strategies and an additional 37 studies that reported on implementation outcomes. The predominant strategy used was identifying and preparing champions, such as peer leaders. Most studies assessed implementation outcomes of acceptability and feasibility, while few evaluated long-term outcomes like cost or sustainability. This review highlights the emerging, under-researched state of implementation science around digital HIV interventions in both the United States and low- and middle-income countries. Further research is needed to develop and test implementation strategies aligned to digital interventions; otherwise, evidence-based digital HIV interventions will remain underused by broader youth populations.

The Role of Family Factors in the Outcomes of Court-Involved Youth

Court-involved youth (CIY) comprise a significant portion of the U.S. population and have a high prevalence of psychiatric illness and substance use. Youth delinquency has also been associated with family variables and parenting practices. However, it is not known which family factors are most relevant to behavioral outcomes in CIY mandated to outpatient mental health treatment. Self-report measures from 163 CIY (M = 15.19 years; 58.3% male) starting psychiatric care in two U.S. cities were utilized in a cross-sectional analysis to examine the association of parental monitoring and family functioning with the severity and variety of delinquent acts. Results demonstrate that parental monitoring is significantly associated with the delinquent behavior of CIY in mental health treatment, beyond that of psychiatric symptoms and substance use. Improved understanding of influential family factors can enhance tailoring of existing interventions to ensure that they are relevant to the needs of CIY, especially those in psychiatric treatment.

The Impact of Technology on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Needs

The call for articles for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Special Issue "Using mobile technology to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH)" was proposed to identify efforts to provide adolescent SRH services during the COVID-19 pandemic [...].