Table 2.
Weighted mean effect sizes and homogeneity statistics for sexual risk reduction outcomes by assessment interval
| Outcomea | k | d+ (95% CI) | Homogeneity | I2 index (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed effects | Random effects | Q | p | |||
| Short-Term Assessment (4 to 13 weeks) | ||||||
| Condom use, overall | 31 | 0.10 (0.07, 0.14) | 0.09 (0.03, 0.15) | 73.57 | <.001 | 59% (39, 73) |
| No. of Sexual Partners | 24 | 0.09 (0.06, 0.13) | 0.08 (0.04, 0.12) | 28.17 | .21 | 0 |
| Incident STDs | 8 | 0.01 (−0.06, 0.08) | −0.08 (−0.42, 0.27) | 166.14 | <.001 | 96% (94, 97) |
| Intermediate Assessment (22 to 39 weeks) | ||||||
| Condom use, overall | 26 | 0.05 (0.02, 0.09) | 0.05 (0.01, 0.10) | 38.68 | .04 | 0 |
| No. of Sexual Partners | 22 | 0.06 (0.03, 0.09) | 0.05 (−0.01, 0.10) | 33.87 | .04 | 0 |
| Incident STDs | 21 | 0.13 (0.08, 0.18) | 0.11 (0.01, 0.21) | 79.98 | <.001 | 75% (62, 84) |
| Long-Term Assessment (≥52 weeks) | ||||||
| Condom use, overall | 13 | 0.03 (−0.00, 0.06) | 0.04 (−0.03, 0.10) | 33.44 | <.001 | 64% (35, 80) |
| No. of Sexual Partners | 11 | 0.06 (0.01, 0.11) | 0.09 (−0.01, 0.18) | 31.92 | <.001 | 69% (41, 83) |
| Incident STDs | 23 | 0.10 (0.08, 0.12) | 0.10 (0.05, 0.14) | 72.84 | <.001 | 70% (54, 80) |
| Incident HIV | 5 | 0.56 (0.54, 0.58) | 0.64 (0.29, 0.98) | 595.91 | <.001 | 99% (99, 100) |
Extreme effect size values were recoded (i.e., winsorized) for condom use at short- and long-term assessment, number of sexual partners at short-term and intermediate assessments, and incident STDs at intermediate and long-term assessments. The magnitude and direction of the weighted mean effect sizes including outliers were consistent with the results excluding outliers (except for incident STDs at intermediate assessment, random effects: d+ = 0.10, 95% CI = −0.01, 0.21).
Note. k, number of interventions. d+, weighted mean effect size. CI, confidence interval. Boldface text indicates statistically significant improvements among treatment compared with control patients.