Table 1. Interest in individual and couples-based health programs among women and men enrolled in the Proyecto Parejas cohort study in Tijuana and Cd. Juarez, Mexico (n=320).
| Responses | Women (n= 179) |
Men (n= 141) |
Overalla (n= 320) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interested in a program for: | |||
| Couples | 109 (61%) | 105 (74%) | 214 (67%) |
| Individuals | 63 (35%) | 32 (23%) | 95 (30%) |
| Neither (not interested) | 7 (4%) | 4 (3%) | 11 (3%) |
| Reasons for interest in a program for couples:a, b | |||
| Generally good for both partners | 31 (17%) | 23 (16%) | 54 (17%) |
| Convenience (easier to come together) | 12(7%) | 27 (19%) | 39 (12%) * |
| Communication will benefit from couples program | 7 (4%) | 11 (8%) | 18 (6%) |
| Trust will be strengthened by couples program | 11 (6%) | 4 (3%) | 15 (5%) |
| Health benefits for both partners, especially HIV/STI tests | 31 (17%) | 27 (19%) | 58 (18%) |
| Helps keep drug use “in check” | 5 (3%) | 6 (4%) | 11 (3%) |
| Problem solving will be strengthened by couples program | 2 (1%) | 5 (4%) | 7 (2%) |
| Health information/education for both partners | 4 (2%) | 5 (4%) | 9 (3%) |
| Improves relationship quality, male partners act more helpful | 11 (6%) | 1 (1%) | 12 (4%) |
| Both partners can earn (more) money from couples program | 4 (2%) | 1 (1%) | 5 (2%) |
| Reasons for interest in a program for individuals:a, b | |||
| Men/women need special/extra/different services (esp. men) | 5 (3%) | 15 (11%) | 20 (6%) * |
| Convenience (easier to come to program alone) | 3 (2%) | 6 (4%) | 9 (3%) |
| Single/broke up with partner (or planning to break up) | 19 (11%) | 2 (1%) | 21 (7%) |
| Privacy (keep confidentiality, prevent jealousy) | 22 (12%) | 6 (4%) | 28 (9%) ** |
| Male partner doesn’t like to come to program for women | 12 (7%) | 2 (1%) | 14 (4%) * |
| Interested in the following topics in a health program:a | |||
| HIV/STI information, testing, and counseling | 67 (39%) | 66 (48%) | 133 (43%) |
| Hepatitis information, testing, and counseling | 58 (34%) | 33 (24%) | 91 (29%) * |
| General medical treatment and information about other health issues (diabetes, cancer, etc.) |
93 (54%) | 84 (61%) | 177 (57%) |
| Ways to improve your relationship with your partner/couples counseling |
39 (23%) | 31 (23%) | 70 (23%) |
| Improving communication with your partner | 25 (15%) | 30 (22%) | 55 (18%) |
| Anger management skills and violence prevention | 24 (14%) | 27 (20%) | 51 (17%) |
| Condom negotiation skills with your partner | 20 (12%) | 19 (14%) | 39 (13%) |
| Help disclosing HIV/STI test results to your partner | 19 (11%) | 26 (19%) | 45 (15%) * |
| Help talking to your partner about outside sexual partners and clients/sex work |
19 (11%) | 16 (12%) | 35 (11%) |
| Ways to build trust with your partner | 17 (10%) | 23 (17%) | 40 (13%) |
| Information on health risks of using drugs and long term consequences of drug use |
26 (15%) | 45 (33%) | 71 (23%) ** |
| Learning how to take care of your veins, abscess prevention, and safer injection information |
20 (12%) | 13 (9%) | 33 (11%) |
| Information about leaving drugs, drug treatment, and medication to stop using drugs |
23 (13%) | 38 (28%) | 61 (20%) ** |
| Support groups, like AA or “ayuda mutua” | 12 (7%) | 15 (11%) | 27 (9%) |
| Employment counseling and job training | 26 (15%) | 51 (37%) | 77 (25%) ** |
| Help with legal issues (getting an ID card, papers, deportation cases) |
9 (5%) | 20 (15%) | 29 (9%) ** |
| Family planning and information on contraception | 7 (4%) | 9 (7%) | 16 (5%) |
| Parenting skills and learning how to talk to your children about drugs and sexual risks |
15 (9%) | 9 (7%) | 24 (8%) |
| Nutrition counseling | 18 (10%) | 8 (6%) | 26 (8%) |
| Physical fitness and health information | 32 (19%) | 18 (13%) | 50 (16%) |
| Stress relief techniques | 17 (10%) | 10 (7%) | 27 (9%) |
| Psychological counseling | 28 (16%) | 46 (34%) | 74 (24%) ** |
Notes:
*
p<.05;
**
p<.01; p-values from univariate odds ratios with clustered standard errors within couples.
a
Sample size restricted to 320 participants who expressed interest in future programs.
b
From open-ended questions about why participants would prefer programs for couples vs. individuals.