Effects on sexual risk behavior and STD rate of brief HIV/STD prevention interventions for African American women in primary care settings.
OBJECTIVE
We tested the efficacy of brief HIV/sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk-reduction interventions for African American women in primary care settings.


METHODS
In a randomized controlled trial, 564 African American women recruited at a Newark, NJ, inner-city women's health clinic were assigned to a 20-minute one-on-one HIV/STD behavioral skill-building intervention, 200-minute group HIV/STD behavioral skill-building intervention, 20-minute one-on-one HIV/STD information intervention, 200-minute group HIV/STD information intervention, or 200-minute health intervention control group. Primary outcomes were self-reported sexual behaviors in the previous 3 months; secondary outcome was STD incidence.


RESULTS
At 12-month follow-up, participants in the skill-building interventions reported less unprotected sexual intercourse than did participants in the information interventions (Cohen's d [d]=0.23, P=.02), reported a greater proportion of protected sexual intercourse than did information intervention participants (d=0.21, P=.05) and control participants (d=0.24, P=.03), and were less likely to test positive for an STD than were control participants (d=0.20, P=.03).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that brief single-session, one-on-one or group skill-building interventions may reduce HIV/STD risk behaviors and STD morbidity among inner-city African American women in primary care settings.
Jemmott
Loretta Sweet
LS
School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Center for Health Disparities Research, Philadelphia 19104-6096, USA. jemmott@nursing.upenn.edu
Jemmott
John B
JB
O'Leary
Ann
A
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044383:Black People; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population; D016387:Women's Health; D001741:Black or African American