Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May;35(6):438-445.
doi: 10.1177/09564624241226995. Epub 2024 Jan 23.

Human immunodeficiency virus prevention outcomes associated with arts-based sexual health workshop participation among Northern and Indigenous adolescents in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Candice L Lys  1   2 , Carmen H Logie  3   4   5   6 , Anoushka Lad  3 , Nina Sokolovic  7 , Kayley Inuksuk Mackay  1 , Aryssa Hasham  3 , Kalonde Malama  3
Affiliations

Human immunodeficiency virus prevention outcomes associated with arts-based sexual health workshop participation among Northern and Indigenous adolescents in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Candice L Lys et al. Int J STD AIDS. 2024 May.

Abstract

Background: Contextually tailored, arts-based HIV prevention strategies hold potential to advance adolescent sexual health and wellbeing. We examined HIV prevention outcomes associated with arts-based sexual health workshop participation with Northern and Indigenous adolescents in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada.

Methods: An Indigenous community-based youth agency delivered arts-based workshops in school settings to adolescents aged 13-18 in 24 NWT communities. Pre and post-test surveys included socio-demographic characteristics, sexually infections (STI) knowledge, HIV/STI risk perception, sexual relationship equity, condom use self-efficacy, and safer sex efficacy (SSE). Latent change score models were conducted to assess pre-post differences and factors associated with these differences.

Results: Among participants (n = 344; mean age 14.3 years, SD: 1.3; Indigenous: 79%) most (66%) had previously attended this workshop. Latent change score models revealed a significant and large effect size for increased STI knowledge (β = 2.10, SE = 0.48, p < .001) and significant and small effect sizes for increased HIV/STI risk perception (β = 0.24, SE = 0.06, p < .001) and SSE (β = 0.16, SE = 0.07, p = .02). The largest increases across several outcomes occurred with first time workshop participants; yet previous workshop participants continued to report increases in HIV/STI risk perception and SSE.

Conclusion: Arts-based HIV prevention approaches show promise in advancing STI knowledge, risk perception, and SSE with Northern and Indigenous youth.

Keywords: Human immunodeficiency virus prevention; adolescents; arctic; human immunodeficiency virus knowledge; indigenous; safer sex efficacy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overview of body mapping methodology.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Arts-based approach with youth group name and symbols.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) . Report on sexually transmitted infection surveillance in Canada, 2019. Ottawa, ON: Public Health Agency of Canada, 2019. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-co... (2022, accessed 21 March 2023).
    1. Haddad N, Robert A, Weeks A, et al. HIV in Canada—surveillance report. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2018; 45: 304–312. doi:10.14745/ccdr.v45i12a01 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adelson N. The embodiment of inequity: health disparities in Aboriginal Canada. Can J Public Health. 2005; 96: S45–S61. doi:10.1007/bf03403702 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. MacDonald C, Steenbeek A. The impact of colonization and western assimilation on health and wellbeing of Canadian aboriginal people. Int J Reg Local Hist. 2015; 10: 32–46. doi:10.1179/2051453015Z.00000000023 - DOI
    1. Rand JR. Inuit women’s stories of strength: informing inuit community-based HIV and STI prevention and sexual health promotion programming. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2016; 75: 32135. doi:10.3402/ijch.v75.32135 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types