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. 2000 Feb;90(2):216–222. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.2.216

A community-level HIV prevention intervention for inner-city women: results of the women and infants demonstration projects.

J L Lauby 1, P J Smith 1, M Stark 1, B Person 1, J Adams 1
PMCID: PMC1446151  PMID: 10667182

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of a multisite community-level HIV prevention intervention on women's condom-use behaviors. METHODS: The theory-based behavioral intervention was implemented with low-income, primarily African American women in 4 urban communities. It was evaluated with data from pre- and postintervention cross-sectional surveys in matched intervention and comparison communities. RESULTS: At baseline, 68% of the women had no intention of using condoms with their main partners and 70% were not using condoms consistently with other partners. After 2 years of intervention activities, increases in rates of talking with main partners about condoms were significantly larger in intervention communities than in comparison communities (P = .03). Intervention communities also had significant increases in the proportion of women who had tried to get their main partners to use condoms (P = .01). The trends for condom use with other partners were similar but nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Many women at risk for HIV infection are still not using condoms. Community-level interventions may be an effective way to reach large numbers of women and change their condom-use behaviors, particularly their behaviors with regard to communication with main sex partners.

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Selected References

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