d-up intervention (Defend Yourself)

d-up is a community level intervention designed for and developed by Black men who have sex with men (MSM). D-up is a cultural adaptation of the Popular Opinion Leader (POL) intervention and is designed to promote social norms of condom use and assist Black MSM to recognize and handle risk related to racial and sexual bias.

d-up finds an enlists opinion leaders whose advice is respected and trusted by their peers.

These opinion leaders are trained to change risky sexual norms of their friends and acquaintances in their own social networks.  d-up opinion leaders are prepared to deliver messages that counter racial and sexual biases directed toward Black MSM in society and to promote condom use

Core Elements:

• Direct d-up to an identified at-risk target population in well defined community venues where the population’s size can be assessed
• Use key informants and systematic observation to identify the target population’s social network and to identify the most trusted, respected and credible person in each network
• Over the life of the program, recruit and train 15% of the persons from each friendship group in the social network that is found in the intervention venue
• Raise awareness among opinion leaders of how negative social  and cultural factors impact Black MSM sexual risk behavior in order to promote a norm of positive self-worth in their social network and to address these biases in their conversations as needed
• Teach opinion leaders skills for putting risk reduction endorsements messages into everyday conversation with friends and acquaintances
• Teach opinion leaders the elements of effective behavior change messages that target attitudes, norms, intentions, and self-efficacy related to risk. Train opinion leaders to personally endorse the benefits of safer sex in their conversation and to offer practical steps to achieve change
• Hold weekly sessions for small groups of opinion leaders to help them improve their skills and gain confidence in giving effective HIV prevention messages to others. Instruct, model, role play and provide feedback during these sessions. Make sure that all opinion leaders have a chance to practice and shape their communication skills and get comfortable including messages into conversations
• Have opinion leaders set goals to hold risk reduction conversations with at-risk friends and acquaintances in their own social network between weekly sessions
• Review, discuss and reinforce the outcomes of the opinion leaders’ conversations at later training sessions.
• Use logos, symbols or other items as “conversation starters” between opinion leaders and others