Dr. Sona Sethi and Dr. Mallika Mitra Biswas, PhD. Planned Parenthood Federation of America-International, 37 Petchburi Road, Soi 15, Bangkok, Thailand, (66-2) 254-8954, sona.sethi@ppfa.org

India has the second largest population living with HIV/AIDS in the world and the infection is spreading at an alarming rate. The high-risk behavior population has a major share of sexually active people. The presence of STI makes a person more vulnerable to HIV. Knowing that almost half of all new adult infections are to 15-24 year olds, PPFA-I with local partners initiated a study on integrating HIV/AIDS/STI prevention into the Youth Adolescent Reproductive Health program. The study was designed with an objective to explore strategies to increase use of condoms for prevention of HIV/AIDS/STI and unintended pregnancies. The project staff was trained on sexuality counseling, risk assessment, condom demonstration, condom negotiation skills and risk reduction strategies before the start of this community outreach study. All medium to high-risk clients were given condoms. The presentation will focus on easy-to-replicate strategies, study design and condom usage. The presentation will also incorporate the advantages of an integrated approach and lessons learnt.

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