A community-level HIV prevention intervention for inner-city women: results of the women and infants demonstration projects.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the effects of a multisite community-level HIV prevention intervention on women's condom-use behaviors.


METHODS
The theory-based behavioral intervention was implemented with low-income, primarily African American women in 4 urban communities. It was evaluated with data from pre- and postintervention cross-sectional surveys in matched intervention and comparison communities.


RESULTS
At baseline, 68% of the women had no intention of using condoms with their main partners and 70% were not using condoms consistently with other partners. After 2 years of intervention activities, increases in rates of talking with main partners about condoms were significantly larger in intervention communities than in comparison communities (P = .03). Intervention communities also had significant increases in the proportion of women who had tried to get their main partners to use condoms (P = .01). The trends for condom use with other partners were similar but nonsignificant.


CONCLUSIONS
Many women at risk for HIV infection are still not using condoms. Community-level interventions may be an effective way to reach large numbers of women and change their condom-use behaviors, particularly their behaviors with regard to communication with main sex partners.
Lauby
J L
JL
Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, PA 19102, USA. jennifer@phmc.org
Smith
P J
PJ
Stark
M
M
Person
B
B
Adams
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014504:Urban Health