American Journal of Public Health, Vol 90, Issue 1 57-63, Copyright © 2000 by American Public Health Association

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Outcomes of a randomized community-level HIV prevention intervention for women living in 18 low-income housing developments

KJ Sikkema, JA Kelly, RA Winett, LJ Solomon, VA Cargill, RA Roffman, TL McAuliffe, TG Heckman, EA Anderson, DA Wagstaff, AD Norman, MJ Perry, DA Crumble and MB Mercer
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA. kathleen.sikkema@yale.edu

OBJECTIVES: Women in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods are at high risk for contracting HIV. A randomized, multisite community-level HIV prevention trial was undertaken with women living in 18 low-income housing developments in 5 US cities. METHODS: Baseline and 12-month follow-up population risk characteristics were assessed by surveying 690 women at both time points. In the 9 intervention condition housing developments, a community-level intervention was undertaken that included HIV risk reduction workshops and community HIV prevention events implemented by women who were popular opinion leaders among their peers. RESULTS: The proportion of women in the intervention developments who had any unprotected intercourse in the past 2 months declined from 50% to 37.6%, and the percentage of women's acts of intercourse protected by condoms increased from 30.2% to 47.2%. Among women exposed to intervention activities, the mean frequency of unprotected acts of intercourse in the past 2 months tended to be lower at follow-up (mean = 4.0) than at baseline (mean = 6.0). These changes were corroborated by changes in other risk indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Community-level interventions that involve and engage women in neighborhood-based HIV prevention activities can bring about reductions in high-risk sexual behaviors.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. T. Jones, P. Gray, Y. O. Whiteside, T. Wang, D. Bost, E. Dunbar, E. Foust, and W. D. Johnson Evaluation of an HIV Prevention Intervention Adapted for Black Men Who Have Sex With Men Am J Public Health, June 1, 2008; 98(6): 1043 - 1050. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. C. Digenis-Bury, D. R. Brooks, L. Chen, M. Ostrem, and C. R. Horsburgh Use of a Population-Based Survey to Describe the Health of Boston Public Housing Residents Am J Public Health, January 1, 2008; 98(1): 85 - 91. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. W. Valente and P. Pumpuang Identifying Opinion Leaders to Promote Behavior Change Health Educ Behav, December 1, 2007; 34(6): 881 - 896. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. S. Jemmott, J. B. Jemmott III, and A. O'Leary Effects on Sexual Risk Behavior and STD Rate of Brief HIV/STD Prevention Interventions for African American Women in Primary Care Settings Am J Public Health, June 1, 2007; 97(6): 1034 - 1040. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. W Valente Opinion leader interventions in social networks BMJ, November 25, 2006; 333(7578): 1082 - 1083. [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Sivaram, S. Johnson, M. E. Bentley, V. F. Go, C. Latkin, A. K. Srikrishnan, D. D. Celentano, and S. Solomon Sexual health promotion in Chennai, India: key role of communication among social networks Health Promot. Int., December 1, 2005; 20(4): 327 - 333. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. J. Sikkema HIV Prevention among Women in Low-Income Housing Developments: Issues and Intervention Outcomes in a Place-Based Randomized Controlled Trial The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, May 1, 2005; 599(1): 52 - 70. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. E. Poundstone, S. A. Strathdee, and D. D. Celentano The Social Epidemiology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Epidemiol. Rev., July 1, 2004; 26(1): 22 - 35. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Fenaughty and L. Namyniuk "Here's What I'd Do ...": Condom Promotion Strategies Proposed by High-Risk Women in Anchorage, Alaska Qual Health Res, January 1, 2004; 14(1): 23 - 38. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Boruch, H. May, H. Turner, J. Lavenberg, A. Petrosino, D. de Moya, J. Grimshaw, and E. Foley Estimating the Effects of Interventions That are Deployed in Many Places: Place-Randomized Trials American Behavioral Scientist, January 1, 2004; 47(5): 608 - 633. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. W. Valente, B. R. Hoffman, A. Ritt-Olson, K. Lichtman, and C. A. Johnson Effects of a Social-Network Method for Group Assignment Strategies on Peer-Led Tobacco Prevention Programs in Schools Am J Public Health, November 1, 2003; 93(11): 1837 - 1843. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. T. Levy and K. B. Friend The effects of clean indoor air laws: what do we know and what do we need to know? Health Educ. Res., October 1, 2003; 18(5): 592 - 609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Merzel and J. D'Afflitti Reconsidering Community-Based Health Promotion: Promise, Performance, and Potential Am J Public Health, April 1, 2003; 93(4): 557 - 574. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Peer Education for HIV Prevention Journal Watch Women's Health, March 1, 2000; 2000(301): 14 - 14. [Full Text]