d-up Defend Yourself! A Community-Level Intervention for Black MSM

This information sheet describes a community-level risk-reduction intervention that attempts to change social norms and perceptions of black men who have sex with men (MSM) regarding safer sex practices and improve their sense of self-worth as black MSM. It uses individuals, called opinion leaders, who are respected and trusted by their peers, to promote the benefits of consistent condom use and increase feelings of positive self-worth among friends and acquaintances. Opinion leaders are identified during the community discovery and recruited by an agency implementing d-up! They receive training to become opinion leaders, and also identify new opinion leaders within their friendship groups. The program has been packaged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Replication of Effective Interventions and Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) projects.