Marseille 2007
| Abstract #109 - Efficacy of Internet Delivered HIV Risk Reduction for Rural who have sex with men in the USA. | ||||
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Session: 36.8: Prevention lessons (Parallel) on Tuesday @ 14.00-16.00 in 5 Chaired by Theo Sandfort, William Zule Authors: Presenting Author: Dr Anne Bowen - U. Wyoming, United States |
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| Additional Authors: Dr Mark Williams, Ms Sara Clayton, Ms Candice Daniel, | ||||
| Aim: Evaluate the acceptibility and efficacy of an Internet delivered HIV risk reduction program for rural men who have sex with men (MSM). | ||||
| Method / Issue: We developed 3 Internet interventions: HIV Knowledge, Risk reduction in Bars and Internet, and Risk reduction with New and Casual partner. Rural MSM were recruited using Internet Banner ads. All 257 men who completed the study were >17 years old, lived in a town of less than 75,000, and reported sex with another man in the last year. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six intervention orders, completed questionnaires at pre-test (T1), and after each intervention (T2, T3, T4). They were reimbursed for each questionnaire completed. All 257 men who completed the study were >17 years old, lived in a town of less than 75,000, and reported sex with another man in the last year. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Retention was 70% at T4, with only one difference between drop-outs and retained participants. Men were grouped at T1 by zero (0), one (1), two or more (>2) sex partners in the last 30 days. At intake, men with 0 partners were more likely to be full-time students and men with > 2 partners has slightly higher incomes. Changes in HIV knowledge, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy and willingness to change risk behaviors were significant at T2 (after 1 intervention), but changes at T4 (after all 3) were significantly greater than at T2. At T4, changes in sexual risk behaviors were significant for the last 30 days with the men reporting a small but significant reduction in frequency of anal sex with partners: one sex partner, 78% to .67%; two or more,57% to 53% and a significant increase in condom use for anal sex: one sex partner, 43% to 65%, two or more, 52% to 75%. | ||||
| Discussion: The results indicate that while completion of one intervention was helpful, completion of all 3 resulted in greater cumulative change across all cognitive variables and at T4, behavioral risk reduction was significant. While long term efficacy was not assessed, the preliminary outcomes of this Internet intervention suggest that is may be an efficient and well accepted approach to reducing HIV risk for rural MSM. | ||||
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