Office of AIDS - ELI Definitions - Page 1

Definition:  An intervention is a specific activity (or set of related activities) intended to bring about HIV risk reduction in a particular target population using a common strategy for delivering the prevention services.  An intervention has distinct process and outcome objectives and a protocol outlining the steps for implementation.

Office of AIDS (OA) Example:  Individual Counseling.

Definition:  A program, on the other hand, is the distinction often used by an agency to describe a related set of interventions serving a particular population.  (Evaluating Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV Prevention Programs Volume 1:  Guidance Chapter 3:  Designing and Evaluating Intervention Plans).  To determine the type of intervention you are providing, think about the primary activity of your specific program.  The specific goals and objectives you submitted when you applied for funding will also help you decide.

OA Example:  Empowerment, which is a set of related interventions geared towards young gay men.

Definition:  An ILI is health education and risk-reduction counseling provided to one individual at a time.  ILIs assist clients in making plans for individual behavior change and ongoing appraisals of their own behavior.  These interventions also facilitate linkages to services in both clinic and community settings (e.g., substance abuse treatment settings) in support of behaviors and practices that prevent the transmission of HIV, and they help clients make plans to obtain these services.

Note:  According to a strict categorization, outreach is an ILI.  However, for the purposes of this reporting, ILIs do not include outreach or counseling and testing, which constitute their own intervention categories.

OA Example:  One on One Counseling.

ELI Definitions - Page 2