Couples Health CoOp Plus

Key aspects of the workshop include community stigma awareness of people living with HIV, use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of HIV and attitudes towards people who use alcohol and drugs. The workshop adapts a stigma-reduction curriculum based on a stigma-reduction toolkit and community HIV prevention project with community peers with skits to address stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors toward young women and men who use AODs and who may need health services, including HIV treatment and prevention. Selected modules were modified from the existing clinic-based training to fit community stigma awareness and attitudes to focus on aspects of stigma specific to young women and men who engage in syndemic-related behaviors who live in their communities. The stigma awareness and education workshop will be delivered in communities randomized to receive workshops (N=12 communities).

The Couples Health CoOp Plus (CHC+) was adapted from the initial Couples Health CoOp (CHC)-an empowerment-based intervention developed for South African couples that addresses the syndemic of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, violence, and HIV risk. It is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and promotes prevention strategies that address the relational context of equality in which sexual risk takes place. The adapted Couples Health CoOp Plus (CHC+) incorporates antiretroviral therapy (ART)/pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for a biobehavioral approach with an emphasis on uptake and good adherence (N=12 communities; estimated N=240 couples).