Elements of Successful HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs

Although every prevention program is unique, research reveals that successful programs have specific strategies and practices in common. This section of the NPIN site reviews the 11 elements of successful HIV prevention programs, explains the ideal continuum of prevention and treatment successful prevention programs can strive toward, and provides links to more information about HIV/AIDS prevention.

The Eleven Elements of Successful Prevention Programs
The Ideal Continuum of HIV Prevention and Treatment
Featured HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Information

The Eleven Elements of Successful Prevention Programs

Effective HIV prevention programs are comprehensive and science-based. Following are the specific elements required for HIV prevention to work:

An effective community planning process
Epidemiological and behavioral surveillance; compilation of other health and demographic data relevant to HIV risks, incidence, or prevalence (Read more about HIV Surveillance and Data Management)
HIV counseling, testing, and referral, and partner counseling and referral, with strong linkages to medical care, treatment, and prevention services (Read more about HIV Counseling, Testing, and Referral)
Health education and risk reduction activities, including individual-, group-, and community-level interventions (Read more about HIV Education and Outreach)
Accessible diagnosis and treatment of other STDs (Read more about HIV Counseling, Testing, and Referral)
Public information and education programs
Comprehensive school health programs (Read more about HIV Education and Outreach)
Training and quality assurance
HIV prevention capacity-building activities
An HIV prevention technical assistance assessment and plan
Evaluation of major program activities, interventions, and services

The goals, objectives, and strategies of the CDC HIV Strategic Plan Through 2005 address each of these essential components of successful, comprehensive HIV prevention programs. See also Comprehensive HIV Prevention: Essential Components of a Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent Domestic HIV 2006.

The Ideal Continuum of HIV Prevention and Treatment

Effective programs work on many levels simultaneously: individual levels, social network and community levels, and at the societal structure level. They address the needs and issues relevant to both people at risk and those already infected in support of a continuum of HIV prevention and treatment, in which:

Individuals use a full array of existing services and interventions to adopt and maintain risk reduction behaviors
Individuals determine their HIV status through voluntary counseling and testing as early as possible after possible exposure to HIV
If HIV negative, individuals use the full array of existing services and interventions to adopt and maintain risk reduction behaviors; if HIV positive, individuals use quality prevention services and work to adopt and sustain lifelong protective behaviors to avoid transmitting the virus to others
If HIV positive, individuals enter the care system as soon as possible to reap the benefits of ongoing care and treatment
Once in the care system, individuals benefit from comprehensive high-quality services, including mental health and substance abuse treatment services, treatment for HIV infection, and treatment of opportunistic and other infections like STDs and TB
With their providers and support networks, individuals develop strategies to optimize adherence to their prescribed therapies

Featured HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Information

Provisional Procedural Guidance for Community Based Organizations
From CDC�s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention; Planning for Potential Implementation in the U.S. (fact sheet)
From CDC�s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

2009 National HIV Prevention Conference Presentations and Webcasts

HIV Prevention Strategic Plan: Extended Through 2010
From CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

Comprehensive HIV Prevention: Essential Components of a Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent Domestic HIV 2006
Document from the Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention

How Does Evaluation Help In HIV Prevention?
From the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California San Francisco

2003-2008 HIV Prevention Community Planning Guidance
From DHAP, this document defines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) expectations of health departments and HIV prevention community planning groups (CPGs) in implementing HIV prevention community planning.

Capacity Building
From CDC

Replicating Effective Programs Plus
From DHAP

AIDS Community Demonstration Projects: A Successful Community-Level Intervention to Reduce HIV Risk
From DHAP

HIV Cost Effectiveness
From CDC

2008 Compendium of Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Interventions (updated May 2009)
From CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

HIV Prevention Case Management - Literature Review and Current Practice
From CDC

Technical Assistance for HIV Prevention Community Planning
From CDC

Integrated Guidelines for Developing Epidemiologic Profiles: HIV Prevention and Ryan White CARE Act Community Planning
From DHAP

Framework for Program Evaluation
From CDC Evaluation Working Group

Evaluating CDC-Funded Health Department HIV Prevention Programs
From DHAP

HIV Prevention Community Planning Materials
From Academy for Educational Development (AED) and National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)

Facilitating Meetings: A Guide for Community Planning Groups
From AED