Army Women's Evaluation of a Self-Administered Intervention to Prevent STIs

Sexually transmitted infections are 3 – 7 times higher in U.S. military personnel than civilians; hence, promoting safer sexual practices among military personnel is paramount. Military women are an especially vulnerable population within a male-dominated culture. No interventions have been developed that specifically target military women. Moreover, most interventions delivered to military women are given in large, mixed-gender briefings where women feel uncomfortable and are unable to refer to the information at a later time. The purpose of this study was to introduce a new self-administered, theoretically based intervention called the Sexual Awareness Kit (SAK) to Army women and ascertain their evaluations of it. The SAK is specifically designed to promote safer sexual practices during deployment. Two focus groups were performed with Army women from a military installation on the West coast. Women ranged in age from 18 – 49 years (M = 25.1, SD = 7.4) and were of mixed ethnicity. After demonstration of the intervention, women had an opportunity to examine the SAK individually and comment on it both in a group and individually in writing. A specific interview schedule was adhered to for both oral and written comments. Data were content analyzed by 3 researchers working independently utilizing McLaughlin & Mariscuilo's (1990) three-phase technique. Units were established from each of the interview questions and major categories were developed that described women's responses. Interrater reliability among the researchers was 92-98%. Women had positive reactions to the SAK and would either use it personally or recommend its use to colleagues.