Behavioural interventions to prevent HIV infection: rapid evolution, increasing rigour, moderate success

Behavioural interventions aim to alter behaviours that make individuals mor e vulnerable to becoming infected or infecting others with HIV. Research in this field has developed rapidly in recent years. Increased rigour in the design and conduct of evaluations and moderate successes in bringing about behaviour change in target populations are the key achievements so far. Thi s paper reflects on these developments, addresses recent innovations and hi ghlights likely areas for future work. Discussion focuses on maximising the potential effectiveness of new interventions, methodological issues relati ng to evaluation and implementation of interventions into practice. The pap er concludes there is evidence that interventions deemed effective under ev aluation conditions can be implemented in HIV prevention services and that this is the next major challenge. The immediate goal should be consolidatio n of the learning that has occurred, particularly efforts to maintain theor etical and evaluative rigour whilst encouraging increased collaborative par tnerships between researchers, service providers and affected communities.