Combining and adapting American school-based alcohol and HIV prevention programmes in South Africa: the HAPS project

Adolescents in South Africa are at particularly high risk for HIV as well as other sexually transmitted infections. Because rates are so high, using minimal time and resources to develop effective interventions is essential. One strategy to achieve this goal is to modify and adapt western school-based preventive interventions for applications in South African schools. This study focuses on the adaptation and integration of two interventions with proven effectiveness in the United States in order to ensure cultural relevance in South Africa and its subsequent testing in eight high schools located in townships near Pietermartizburg, KwaZulu-Natal province.