Data collection

Measures will be delivered at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months post-intervention completion. Data will be collected in participant’s homes or another private location via laptop computer utilizing Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI), which has been found to gather more accurate reports of sensitive behaviors among the participating AI community, as compared to traditional interview or self-administered paper questionnaires [45]. Participants will be given $15, $15 and $20 gift cards after completion of the baseline, three and 6 month evaluations, respectively. All measure items were piloted with two males and two females from the participating community to assess comprehension, language, and cultural relevance. Edits were made accordingly.

Selected measures will assess intervention impact on: 1) sexual risk behaviors including condom use at last sex, 2) substance use and associated risks and behaviors, 3) mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors, 4) environmental stressors including historical loss and discrimination, and 5) treatment-seeking behaviors. Please see Table 1 for a description of the measures to be utilized.

EMPWR Program Evaluation Measures