182667 HIV transmission knowledge, risk perception and condom use behavior change among the Filipino military: A Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) & transnational HIV prevention intervention

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sean Arayasirikul, CHES , Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Silver Spring, MD
Donald E. Morisky, ScD, MSPH, ScM , Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
This study focuses on the military as a vulnerable and potential bridge population for global HIV transmission with the primary objective of describing, analyzing and evaluating change across three variables – HIV transmission knowledge, HIV risk perception and condom use behavior – among Filipino military men as a result of a community based participatory research (CBPR) HIV prevention intervention. Mobilizing the complete infrastructure of the Philippines to spread HIV prevention messages and develop peer leadership and participation, this study presents data on 399 Filipino military men collected at baseline, post-intervention and follow-up from 1998-2000 in two sites – Lapu-Lapu (intervention) and Cavite (control). This quasi-experimental, crossover study design presents demographic, HIV transmission knowledge, HIV risk perception and condom use behavior data. Change across these three outcome variables was analyzed using t-tests. Both groups at baseline are not significantly different from each other across demographic variables (age, income, marital status, age at sexual onset). Post-intervention, the intervention group demonstrated an overall increase in HIV risk perception and condom use behavior. Analyses will also include item-by-item analyses within the larger constructs of the aforementioned outcome variables. As the U.S. war budget nears $800 billion while funding for health and medicine diminishes, the salience of understanding the impact of militarization on the transnational diffusion of HIV/AIDS across geographic borders continues to grow. This study ascertains that military men are a vulnerable population and a CBPR approach can positively increase HIV risk perception and increase condom use behavior, while increasing specific HIV knowledge items in this population.

Learning Objectives:
The learning objectives for this presentation are as follows: 1) to discuss the demographics, level of HIV transmission knowledge, level of perceived HIV risk, and condom use behavior among the study sample of Filipino military men; 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach in an international setting; 3) to analyze the change in level of HIV transmission knowledge, level of perceived HIV risk, and condom use behavior prospectively as a result of the CBPR prevention education intervention; 4) to identify the potential mechanisms for transmission that frame military men as vulnerable populations and their role as bridge populations - not only to facilitate HIV transmission from high to low risk populations, but to also facilitate HIV transmission beyond geographic borders in times of war, conflict and increased militarization.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Participatory Action Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I designed and conducted the secondary analysis presented in the abstract.
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.

See more of: HIV in International Settings
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