Abstract: Promoting Youth STD/HIV Awareness in Baltimore City Through a Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament (2008 National STD Prevention Conference)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Continental Ballroom

Sheridan Johnson, BA , Baltimore City Health Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Rafiq Miazad, MD , Baltimore City Health Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

G. Olthoff, MHA , Baltimore City Health Department, Centers for Disease Control, Baltimore, MD

P. Burnett, BA , Baltimore City Health Department, Centers for Disease Control, Baltimore, MD

Denise Freeman, BS, MA , Baltimore City Health Department, Centers for Disease Control, Baltimore, MD

Patrick Smith , People's Community Health Centers, Inc, Baltimore, MD

Patricia Cassatt , People's Community Health Centers, Inc, Baltimore, MD

Background:
Efforts to promote youth STD/HIV awareness in Baltimore City have been limited to presentations at public schools, health clinics, and other educational venues. People's Community Health Centers, through its Syphilis Elimination fundingl, developed the idea of sponsoring a youth three-on-three basketball tournament that focused on STD/HIV awareness and testing.

Objective:
To develop and implement a youth activity for the purpose of raising STD/HIV awareness as well as offering disease testing.

Method:
A one-day, single elimination three-on-three basketball tournament was designed to attract young people between the ages of 14 and 20. The venue selected for this event was located in a high STD/HIV morbidity area.

Result:
An estimated crowd of 3,000 people attended this event in June 2007. Our outreach staff had the opportunity to discuss STDs and distribute literature to many people in attendance. In addition, announcements were made throughout the tournament about on-site STD/HIV testing. One hundred thirty (130) people were offered testing for syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and HIV. The demographics of the persons tested and their respective results will be presented. In addition, a description of the planning process will be presented.

Conclusion:
Developing innovative activities are likely to attract high-risk individuals to testing venues and partnering with other community based organizations or businesses is recommended when appropriate.

Implications:
Innovative programs and activities were a means to attract our youth population to non-traditional venues for offering STD/HIV prevention messages and counseling and testing. Future research and evaluation must monitor how effective non-traditional youth projects and programs are in reducing the number of STDs cases among this population.

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