title: Demonstration and evaluation of a peer-delivered, individually-tailored, HIV prevention intervention for HIV-infected MSM in their primary care setting.
abstract: Employing HIV-infected peer counselors in secondary prevention interventions for MSM is appealing for scalable interventions. One-hundred-seventy-six HIV-infected MSM at their primary care facility participated in a secondary HIV-prevention study delivered by HIV-infected MSM peers. Of those who entered the intervention and completed the initial intake, 62% completed all four of the intervention sessions, and 93% completed at least one. While there was no overall change in transmission risk behavior (TRB) for the whole sample, among those who reported HIV TRB at baseline (n = 29), there were significant reductions in TRB over the next year. Themes that emerged in qualitative exit interviews conducted with a subset of participants centered on peer counselor quality, intervention implications, and intervention experience. This demonstration project provides initial evidence for the ability to recruit HIV-infected MSM in care into a peer-based intervention study, and shows how a peer-based intervention can be delivered in the context of HIV care.
authors.affiliation: The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA. ssafren@partners.org
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Safren
authors.forename: Conall
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Cleirigh
authors.forename: Margie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Skeer
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Driskell
authors.forename: Brett M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Goshe
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Covahey
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston; D003376:Counseling; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010379:Peer Group; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D036301:Qualitative Research; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012309:Risk-Taking; D055815:Young Adult