The following stigma-related interventions were conducted in this state.
Community Health Worker curriculum intervention by Rajabiun et al. (2021)
Study & Intervention Summary
The intervention involves a comprehensive training program for Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their supervisors, focusing on HIV-specific content and core competency training. The program was grounded in the Popular Education model and the CHW Core Consensus Competency (C3) framework, with 80 hours of training for CHWs and 20 hours for supervisors, delivered over 1.5 years through in-person and virtual sessions. The aim was to improve CHW integration into the HIV care team, enhance skills and confidence, and improve health outcomes for people with HIV.
Faith-Based Anti-Stigma Initiative Towards Healing HIV/AIDS (FAITHH)
Study & Intervention Summary
The aim of the article is to develop a culturally appropriate HIV stigma reduction intervention for African-American churches in rural Alabama. The intervention, named FAITHH, is an 8-module curriculum that includes educational materials, myth-busting exercises, role-playing, and sermon delivery practice, all designed to reduce HIV stigma while being consistent with Christian teachings. It was pilot tested in a small randomized trial with 12 churches.
Stigma Type Addressed
Anticipated, Perceived
Study Population - Recipients
Clergy
Intervention Level
Community
Intervention Setting Addressed
Community (Faith-based organizations, barber shops, etc)
Finding Respect and Ending Stigma around HIV (FRESH) Workshop
Study & Intervention Summary
The FRESH Workshop is a 1.5-day intervention designed to reduce HIV-related stigma among healthcare workers and people living with HIV in the US. It involves sharing information, increasing contact between groups, and empowerment strategies. The workshop is structured into two days, focusing on understanding stigma, developing strategies, and presenting them. It is an adaptation of an African intervention tailored for the US South.
The study aimed to enhance treatment and care for virally unsuppressed MSM living with HIV by using case management to increase viral suppression rates. The intervention involved randomizing participants into either a standard of care (SOC) arm or an enhanced case management (CM) arm, which included health education, clinical care coordination, medication adherence support, and social service assistance. The primary outcome was viral suppression.
integrating ENGagement and Adherence Goals upon Entry (iENGAGE) (intervention stigma outcomes)
Study & Intervention Summary
The iENGAGE intervention is designed to help individuals newly entering HIV care adjust to living with HIV and improve treatment adherence and viral suppression. It consists of four face-to-face sessions over 48 weeks, tailored to improve information, motivation, and behavioral skills. The sessions include education on HIV care, skills building, and addressing barriers to treatment adherence, including HIV-related stigma. The intervention aims to reduce internalized HIV-related stigma and is evaluated in a randomized controlled trial, with a focus on how depressive symptoms and coping styles moderate its effects.
integrating ENGagement and Adherence Goals upon Entry (iENGAGE) (stigma reduction impact on HIV and mental health outcomes)
Study & Intervention Summary
The iENGAGE intervention is designed to help individuals newly entering HIV care adjust to living with HIV and improve treatment adherence and viral suppression. It consists of four face-to-face sessions over 48 weeks, tailored to improve information, motivation, and behavioral skills. The sessions include education on HIV care, skills building, and addressing barriers to treatment adherence, including HIV-related stigma. The intervention aims to reduce internalized HIV-related stigma and is evaluated in a randomized controlled trial, with a focus on how depressive symptoms and coping styles moderate its effects.
Multi-intervention package for rural older adults with HIV by Walsh et al. (2024)
Study & Intervention Summary
The study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of four remotely-delivered interventions (group-based social support, group-based stigma reduction, individual strengths-based case management, and individual technology detailing) designed to improve care engagement and quality of life among rural older adults living with HIV. The interventions target improving viral suppression and quality of life, and the study assesses their preliminary impact on various health outcomes.
The aim of the article is to describe the development and pilot testing of Project Eban, a Risk Reduction Intervention for HIV-serodiscordant African American couples. The intervention aims to address stigma, psychological distress, barriers to condom use, and lack of self-protection skills in a culturally congruent and relationship-centered manner, enhancing communication and self-protection skills to reduce STI risks while maintaining relationship quality.
Project Faith-based Anti-stigma Initiative towards Healing HIV (FAITHH)
Study & Intervention Summary
The FAITHH intervention is a faith-based, anti-stigma program developed for African-American churches in rural Alabama. It consists of 8 modules, teaching HIV facts, highlighting stigma effects, and encouraging action against stigma through guided discussions and role plays. The intervention was delivered over approximately 8 hours, facilitated by research team members and church leaders. The study aimed to compare FAITHH's effectiveness with a knowledge-based curriculum and a control condition in reducing HIV stigma.
Stigma Type Addressed
Internalized, Perceived
Study Population - Recipients
Clergy
Intervention Level
Community
Intervention Setting Addressed
Community (Faith-based organizations, barber shops, etc), Individual
Project FAITHH (Faith-based Intervention to Heal HIV)
Study & Intervention Summary
The study aims to investigate the correlates of HIV knowledge in rural African Americans, focusing on sociodemographic characteristics, spirituality, and stigma. The intervention, Project FAITHH, is a faith-based anti-stigma program designed to decrease HIV stigma and increase HIV knowledge in rural African American congregants through eight modules implemented at the convenience of the church schedule. Future interventions should be tailored to address specific deficits in HIV knowledge, particularly focusing on community stigma and education levels.
Stigma Type Addressed
Perceived
Study Population - Recipients
Clergy
Intervention Level
Individual - Intrapersonal (Self), Community
Intervention Setting Addressed
Community (Faith-based organizations, barber shops, etc)
The SPARK! program is a small grants and capacity-building initiative funded by Gilead COMPASS to address HIV-related stigma in the Southern U.S. It provided grants to 47 CBOs to implement tailored stigma-reduction programs, including traditional media campaigns, social media campaigns, workshops and trainings, and supportive services. The program targeted primarily LGBTQ+ people of color, people living with HIV, and African American populations, and was implemented from 2018 to 2021 across nine Southern states. The aim was to reduce HIV-related stigma and achieve positive outcomes with small funding amounts.
Stigma Type Addressed
Perceived
Study Population - Recipients
General (PLHIV), Other
Intervention Level
Individual - Intrapersonal (Self), Community
Intervention Setting Addressed
Community (Faith-based organizations, barber shops, etc), Individual
The Gilead COMPASS (COMmitment to Partnership in Addressing HIV/AIDS in Southern States) Initiative
Study & Intervention Summary
The study examines the practices of community-based organizations (CBOs) in addressing HIV-related stigma in the Deep South. The Gilead COMPASS Initiative is a key intervention supporting CBOs to reduce stigma. The study identifies gaps in current efforts and suggests scaling up services, particularly in rural areas, through collaborations and innovative delivery methods like telehealth and mHealth.
UNITY (stigma's association with HIV outcomes over time)
Study & Intervention Summary
The paper is a secondary analysis of data from the Unity Study, a randomized trial aimed at reducing HIV stigma among African-American women in HIV care. The study assesses the relationship between HIV stigma and viral load, exploring social support and depressive symptoms as mediators. The intervention itself is not detailed in the paper, but its context is used to examine longitudinal associations and inform future interventions.
UNITY (protective factors against stigma for women)
Study & Intervention Summary
The aim of the article is to evaluate whether religiosity, social support, and ethnic identity moderate the effects of HIV-related stigma on depression among African-American women living with HIV. The intervention is part of the Unity Study, a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of an HIV-related stigma reduction intervention among African-American women living with HIV in Chicago, IL, and Birmingham, AL.
Stigma Type Addressed
Internalized, Perceived
Study Population - Recipients
General (PLHIV)
Intervention Level
Individual - Intrapersonal (Self)
Intervention Setting Addressed
Community (Faith-based organizations, barber shops, etc), Individual
The intervention aimed to reduce internalized stigma among African American women living with HIV by adapting the International Center for Research on Women's HIV Stigma Toolkit. It was conducted as a workshop over two afternoons, led by an African American woman living with HIV, and included discussions, role-playing, and video triggers to teach coping mechanisms. The goal was to test feasibility and preliminary effectiveness in reducing internalized stigma.
The aim of the article is to examine the moderating factors in an anti-stigma intervention for African American women with HIV. The intervention, named UNITY, is an anti-stigma workshop that uses an intersectional approach to address stigma related to HIV, gender, and race. It includes education, contact with affected persons, counseling strategies, and training in coping skills, specifically tailored for African American women living with HIV.
The paper is a secondary analysis of the Unity Study, a randomized controlled trial testing a behavioral intervention to reduce HIV-related stigma among African-American women living with HIV. The aim is to evaluate the relationship between HIV-related stigma and viral suppression, and assess the roles of depression and ART nonadherence as mediators.
Stigma Type Addressed
Internalized, Enacted
Study Population - Recipients
General (PLHIV)
Intervention Level
Individual - Intrapersonal (Self)
Intervention Setting Addressed
Community (Faith-based organizations, barber shops, etc), Individual
The YOUNITY Workshop is an adapted intervention from the UNITY Workshop, designed to reduce HIV-related stigma among individuals living with HIV in the Deep South. It is conducted in an experiential group format, focusing on enhancing stigma coping skills, and is led by peer facilitators and a clinical social worker. The intervention was piloted at four community-based organizations, showing feasibility and acceptability. It includes new content on stigma, coping, and disclosure, and is designed to provide ongoing support for participants.
As of 2025, No: Alabama doesn't have HIV criminalization law but does have HIV-specific sentencing enhancements or No HIV-specific law
HATE CRIME DATA COLLECTION LAW
no
As of 2025, No: Alabama does not require hate crime data collection
HATE CRIMES BY YEAR
Number of Hate Crimes
0
100
200
300
255
244
87
2021
2022
2023
Years
Data view:
Individual Item
Proportion
Have you ever felt that the police refused to protect you because you have sex with men?
10%
Have you ever felt scared to be in public places because you have sex with men?
36%
Have you ever been verbally harassed and felt it was because you have sex with men?
43%
Has someone ever physically hurt you (pushed, shoved, slapped, hit, kicked, choked or otherwise physically hurt you), and do you believe any of these experiences of physical violence was/were related to the fact that you have sex with men?
39%
Have you ever been forced to have sex when you did not want to (by forced, we mean physically forced or coerced to have sex, or penetrated with an object), and do you believe any of these experiences of sexual violence were related to the fact that you have sex with men?
40%
Individual Item
Proportion
Have you ever felt excluded from family activities because you have sex with men?
36%
Have you ever felt that family members have made discriminatory remarks or gossiped about you because you have sex with men?
54%
Individual Item
Proportion
Have you ever felt afraid to go to health care services because you worry someone may treat you poorly because you have sex with men?
33%
Have you ever avoided going to health care services because you worry someone may treat you poorly because you have sex with men?
25%
9.5%
Have you ever felt that the police refused to protect you because you have sex with men?
36.3%
Have you ever felt scared to be in public places because you have sex with men?
42.5%
Have you ever been verbally harassed and felt it was because you have sex with men?
39.1%
Has someone ever physically hurt you (pushed, shoved, slapped, hit, kicked, choked or otherwise physically hurt you), and do you believe any of these experiences of physical violence was/were related to the fact that you have sex with men?
39.6%
Have you ever been forced to have sex when you did not want to (by forced, we mean physically forced or coerced to have sex, or penetrated with an object), and do you believe any of these experiences of sexual violence were related to the fact that you have sex with men?
35.8%
Have you ever felt excluded from family activities because you have sex with men?
53.8%
Have you ever felt that family members have made discriminatory remarks or gossiped about you because you have sex with men?
33%
Have you ever felt afraid to go to health care services because you worry someone may treat you poorly because you have sex with men?
24.8%
Have you ever avoided going to health care services because you worry someone may treat you poorly because you have sex with men?
