How to adapt effective programs for use in new contexts

A wide variety of underused effective HIV prevention programs exist. This article describes sources for obtaining such effective programs and issues to con-sider in selecting an existing effective program for use with one’s priority population. It also discusses seven steps involved in adapting an effective program to meet the needs of a new context while preserving core com-ponents (what made, or is believed to have made, the intervention effective in the first place) and best prac-tices (characteristics common to effective programs). Although the examples presented are from the HIV prevention field, the seven-step framework is applica-ble to the adaptation of effective programs in other health promotion and disease prevention arenas