177270 Evaluating the efficacy of an HIV prevention program among Dominican university students

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Ian W. Holloway, MSW, MPH , School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Rafael Garcia-Alvarez, MD , Instituto de Sexualidad Humana, Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD , School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY
Ramon Almanzar, MA , Instituto de Sexualidad Humana, Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
E. Antonio De Moya, MPH , Consejo Presidencial del SIDA - Presidential Council for AIDS, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Objectives: This study analyzed the efficacy of one of the first formal HIV prevention programs to be delivered at a major public university in the Dominican Republic. The study sought to determine differences in attitudes and sexual behavior between intervention and control group participants. Method: Self-administered surveys were given to intervention (n=190) and control group students (n=897) during the summer of 2006, approximately three months after completion of the intervention. Analyses using logistic and OLS regression evaluated program efficacy. Secondary regression-based analysis parceled out the effects of mediators and covariates. Results: Statistically significant effects between intervention and control groups (p<0.05) were found regarding three key variables. Mean scores on condom attitudes were higher in the intervention group (23.4, s.d. = 3.41) than in the control group (20.9, s.d. = 3.64), with higher scores representing more favorable attitudes toward condoms. Mean number of sexual partners in the last three months was lower among intervention group participants (0.8, s.d. = 1.02) than control group participants (1.1, s.d. = 1.33). Of those surveyed, 66.7% of the students in the intervention group reported using a condom at last intercourse compared with 46.5% of students in the control group (p = <0.01). Conclusions: Short term intervention-control group differences were observed for condom attitudes and number of sexual partners. Sizeable differences in condom use at last intercourse also were evident. Implications for public university settings in the DR as prime venues for HIV prevention interventions are discussed. Recommendations for program improvement and dissemination are made.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the importance HIV prevention efforts targeting university students in the Dominican Republic. 2. Describe the differences in condom attitudes, number of sexual partners, and condom use between intervention and control groups. 3. Develop recommendations for improvement and dissemination of HIV prevention programs for Dominican young people based on Study findings.

Keywords: HIV Interventions, International Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As part of my Master's Capstone Project, I spearheaded the evaluation of the HIV intervention program described in this study. I was integrally involved in the questionnaire development, fielding of the survey, data analysis and presentation of the results. I have an MSW and MPH and am currently enrolled in a doctoral program in social work. One of my main areas of interest is HIV prevention in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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