Purpose of Review: Electronic communication platforms are increasingly used to support all steps of the HIV care cascade (an approach defined as eHealth). Most studies have employed individual-level approaches in which participants are connected with information, reminders, or a healthcare worker. Recent growth in use of social media platforms, which create digital communities, has created an opportunity to leverage virtual peer-to-peer connection to improve HIV prevention and care. In this article, we describe the current landscape of peer group eHealth interventions in the HIV field, based on a review of published literature, an online survey of unpublished ongoing work, and discussions with practitioners in the field in an in-person workshop. Recent Findings:We identified 45 published articles and 12 ongoing projects meeting our inclusion criteria. Most reports were formative or observational; only 3 randomized evaluations of 2 interventions were reported. Studies indicated that use of peer group eHealth interventions is acceptable and has unique potential to influence health behaviors, but participants reported privacy concerns. Summary: Evaluations of health outcomes of peer group eHealth interventions show promising data, but more rigorous evaluations are needed. Development of group eHealth interventions Terms of use and reuse: academic research for non-commercial purposes, see here for full terms. http://www.springer.com/gb/openaccess/authors-rights/aam-terms-v1

This study examines the effects of youth empowerment programs (YEPs) on the psychological empowerment of young people aging out of foster care. Method: We used a two-group, cross-sectional survey to examine the effect of YEP participation on the psychological empowerment of youths aging out of Florida's foster care system. The study sample consisted of 193 young adults (99 YEP participants and 94 non-YEP participants), ages 18-24. Four dependent variables represented the 4 dimensions of psychological empowerment: perceived control, motivation to influence, sociopolitical skills, and participatory behavior. Results: YEP participants experienced significantly higher perceived control, motivation to influence their environments, self-efficacy, and participatory behavior than non-YEP participants even when controlling for age at program entry, gender, race, time in foster care, number of placements, and geographic location. Conclusions: Findings suggest that youth empowerment is possible in child welfare systems and may be beneficial to young people aging out of foster care. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

The Children's Aid Society (CAS) was founded in 1853 to help impoverished and orphaned children. In the process of fulfilling its mission, CAS may have unwittingly planted some of the first participatory seeds that grew into youth empowerment, elements of which were eventually incorporated into parts of the modern US foster care system. Specific empowering aspects of CAS's include (1) providing asset-building opportunities, (2) adult facilitation of a prosocial environment, and (3) treating children as independent clients who helped shape the program. This article provides evidence of the participatory aspects of CAS using examples from nineteenth-century periodicals and annual reports.

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