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A Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Web-Based HIV Behavioral Intervention for High-Risk African American Women

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop and test a cost-effective, scalable HIV behavioral intervention for African American women. Eighty-three African American women were recruited from a community health center and randomly assigned to either the web-based Safe Sistah program or to a delayed HIV education control condition. The primary outcome was self-reported condom use. Secondary measures assessed other aspects of the gender-focused training included in Safe Sistah. Participants completed self-report assessments prior to randomization, 1- and 4-months after their program experience. Across the entire study period, women in the experimental condition significantly increased their condom use relative to controls (F = 5.126, p = 0.027). Significant effects were also found for sexual communication, sex refusal, condom use after alcohol consumption, and HIV prevention knowledge. These findings indicate that this web-based program could be an important component in reducing the HIV disparities among African American women.

Resumen

El objetivo de este estudio fue desarrollar y probar una, escalable intervención conductual VIH rentable para las mujeres afroamericanas. Ochenta y tres mujeres afroamericanas fueron reclutados de un centro de salud de la comunidad y aleatoriamente asignados bien al programa Safe Sistah basados en Internet, oa una condición de retraso en el control de la educación del VIH. El resultado primario fue el uso del condón auto-reporte. Las medidas secundarias evaluaron otros aspectos de la capacitación con enfoque de género incluidos en Segura Sistah. Los participantes completaron las evaluaciones de auto-informe antes de la aleatorización, 1 mes y 4 meses después de su experiencia en el programa. En todo el período de estudio, las mujeres en la condición experimental aumentaron significativamente su uso de preservativos respecto a los controles (F = 5,126, p = 0,027). También se encontraron efectos significativos para la comunicación sexual, rechazo sexual, el uso del condón después del consumo de alcohol, y el conocimiento de la prevención del VIH. Estos hallazgos indican que este programa basado en la web podría ser un componente importante en la reducción de las disparidades del VIH entre las mujeres afroamericanas.

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Acknowledgments

For her assistance and expertise throughout the development of Safe Sistah, the authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Gina Wingood. Ms. Angela Wood was essential in the conduct of this study and we would also like to thank our community partner, Family and Medical Counseling Service, Inc. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the extraordinary women who participated in this study. This study was funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant (2R44DA021425), Douglas W. Billings, Principal Investigator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISA Associates, Inc., 201 North Union Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA, 22314, USA

    Douglas W. Billings, Samantha L. Leaf & Joy Spencer

  2. Family and Medical Counseling Service, Inc., Washington, DC, USA

    Terrlynn Crenshaw & Sheila Brockington

  3. Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Reeshad S. Dalal

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  1. Douglas W. Billings
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  2. Samantha L. Leaf
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Correspondence to Douglas W. Billings.

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Billings, D.W., Leaf, S.L., Spencer, J. et al. A Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Web-Based HIV Behavioral Intervention for High-Risk African American Women. AIDS Behav 19, 1263–1274 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-0999-9

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