HIV SEXUAL RISK REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN - A REVIEW

AIDS has emerged as a serious public health threat for women. Reducing the risk for HIV infection among sexually active women requires the a doption of preventive strategies that effectively inhibit viral transm ission. However, there is a paucity of published literature describing interventions targeted toward women and even fewer published reports evaluating their effectiveness. We conducted a search of HIV preventio n interventions for women using the MEDLLNE, ERIC and PSYCHLIT on-line computer database for the years January 1984-May 1995 to assess the e ffectiveness of interventions in increasing condom use during sexual i ntercourse. Interventions efficacious at increasing condom use applied a social psychological model of behavior to guide the development and implementation of the intervention, used randomized controlled design s to evaluate program efficacy, emphasized gender-related influences, were peer-led, and used multiple intervention sessions. While these fi ndings are promising, methodologic limitations preclude any definitive assessment of programmatic efficacy. One challenge for future studies is to corroborate and extend these findings using rigorous methodolog ic research designs to evaluate programmatic efficacy, in particular, longer follow-up to assess stability of treatment effects over time. A nother challenge is to understand the implications of previous researc h for the development of more gender-relevant interventions. The urgen cy of the HIV epidemic demands that the development and evaluation of HIV-prevention interventions tailored toward women remain a public hea lth priority.