When the Researchers Have Gone Home to Write Their Articles. Diffusion and Implementation of School-Based HIV-Prevention Programs in Tanzania.

Although many scientific trials have shown that theory- and evidence-based Aids-education programs can make a difference, only few of these programs seem to find their way to schools that were not included in the scientific trials. This article discusses the diffusion of Aids-education programs from the perspective of health promotion and the theory of diffusion of innovations. It argues that program diffusion should be an integral component of health promotion planning, that health promotion planners should anticipate program diffusion right from the start of program planning, and that planners should actively intervene in the diffusion process by designing theory- and evidence-based strategies to facilitate program adoption, implementation and maintenance. It discusses Intervention Mapping, a protocol for theory- and evidence-based heath promotion program development that incorporates program diffusion, and provides some suggestions for studying diffusion related decision-making.

Keywords
AIDS prevention, schools, diffusion, implementation, intervention mapping