Risk reduction as an accepted framework for safer-sex promotion among women who have sex with women.
BACKGROUND
Safer-sex information for women who have sex with women (WSW) is often very difficult to locate. Girl2girl.info is one of the only websites focussed on safer sex for WSW. The present article describes the predevelopment consultation and evaluation of girl2girl.info. A risk-reduction framework was used to develop the website.


METHODS
Girl2girl.info was developed in 2004 using questionnaires and focus groups with 36 consumers who were WSW, largely based in Canberra, Australia. In 2006-2007 the site was evaluated using mixed methods of questionnaires with 74 WSW and interviews with 17 health professionals around Australia.


RESULTS
This research has identified some key attitudes toward safer sex of WSW participants, in particular a misperception that the majority of WSW are at low risk for sexually transmissible infections and a consistent aversion to using latex for safer sex.


CONCLUSIONS
The article concludes that the promotion of a risk-reduction approach - including non-latex-based safer-sex practices - for WSW is both a theoretically appropriate and engaging form of health promotion for WSW.
Cox
Peta
P
106 Lennox Street, Newtown, Sydney, NSW 2042, Australia. peta.cox@uts.edu.au
McNair
Ruth
R
D001315:Australia; D019111:Single-Use Internal Condom / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D018570:Risk Assessment; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000523:psychology; D012736:Sex Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology; D016387:Women's Health