Intervention Description
Intervention Package Information
Evaluation Study and Results
References and Contact Information
Intervention Description
Target Population
Homosexual Asian and Pacific Islander (API) men
Goals of Intervention
- Increase positive ethnic and sexual
identity
- Increase acknowledgement of HIV risk
behaviors
- Enhance AIDS knowledge, attitudes
towards safer sex, safe-sex negotiation
skills
- Eliminate or reduce sex risk
behaviors
Brief Description
The Brief Group Counseling intervention is a group-level counseling and skills training intervention for homosexual API men. The intervention, delivered to groups of approximately 8 men, consists of one 3-hour culturally tailored session with four key components: (1) development of positive self identity and social support; (2) safer sex education; (3) promoting positive attitudes toward safer sex; and (4) negotiating safer sex. HIV transmission facts and correct use of a condom were presented. An interactive game is used to discuss risks associated with different types of sexual partners. Participants also engage in group discussion about negative experiences associated with being API and with being homosexual, feelings toward safer sex, as well as ways to build support around their self image and personal strengths. The participants build safe-sex negotiation skills through role play and demonstrations. |
Theoretic Basis
- Health Belief Model
- Theory of Reasoned Action
- Social Cognitive Theory
Intervention Duration One 3-hour session
Intervention Settings
Community-based agency
Deliverer
One highly trained, paid intervention
coordinator and one community volunteer with
6 hours of training
Delivery Methods
- Counseling
- Group Discussion
- Games
- Role play
- Exercises
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Intervention Package Information
An intervention package is currently available from
Sociometrics, Inc.
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Evaluation Study and Results
The original evaluation study was
conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area
between 1992 and 1994
Key Intervention Effects
- Reduced number of sex partners
- Reduced unprotected sex
Study Sample
The baseline study sample of 329 men is characterized by the following:
- 100% API (37% Chinese, 34%
Filipino, 11% Other, 10% Japanese, and
8% Vietnamese)
- 100% Male
- 95% homosexual or bisexual
- Mean age of 29 years
- 66% completed college education
Recruitment Settings
Community venues including homosexual API organizations, bars
catering to homosexual APIs, street fairs
sponsored by general gay or Asian-American
communities and local gay newspaper ads.
Eligibility Criteria
Asian or Pacific Islander men were eligible
if they were engaged in same-gender sex, 18
years or older, and non-injection drug users
Assignment Method
API men
(N = 329) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2
groups, using a 2:1 ratio: Brief Counseling
(n = 208) or wait list control (n = 121).
Comparison Group
The wait
list control received the intervention 3
months later
Relevant Outcomes Measured and Follow-up Time
Sex behaviors during past 3 months
(including number of sex partners and having
any unprotected anal intercourse) were
measured at 3-month follow-up.
Participant Retention
- Intervention:
73% retained at 3 months
- Control:
88% retained at 3 months
Significant Findings
- Intervention participants reported
significantly fewer sex partners than
control participants at the 3-month
follow-up (p < .001). This significant
intervention effect was also found among
the sub-sample of men with 0-1 sex
partners at baseline (p < .05), among
men with ≥ 2 sex partners at baseline (p
< .01), and among Chinese and Filipino
men combined (p < .01).
- Among Chinese/Filipino men,
intervention participants were
significantly less likely to report
unprotected anal intercourse compared to
control participants at the 3-month
follow-up (p < .05).
Considerations
The intervention effect on
unprotected anal intercourse was not found
to be significant for the overall sample or
for the diverse sub-sample of API men who
were not Chinese or Filipino. The
intervention’s most consistent effect was on
reduction in the number of sex partners.
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References and Contact Information
- Choi, K. -H., Lew, S., Vittinghoff, E., Catania, J. A., Barrett, D. C., & Coates, T. J. (1996). The efficacy of brief group counseling in HIV risk reduction among homosexual Asian and Pacific Islander men. AIDS, 10, 81-87.
Researcher: Dr. Kyung-Hee Choi
Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)
AIDS Research Institute
University of California, San Francisco
50 Beale Street, Suite 1300
San Francisco, CA 94105.
email: kyung-hee.choi@ucsf.edu.
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