Results of a pilot test of a brief computer-assisted tailored HIV prevention intervention for use with a range of demographic and risk groups.

There is a need for brief HIV prevention interventions that can be disseminated and implemented widely. This article reports the results of a small randomized field experiment that compared the relative effects of a brief two-session counselor-delivered computer-tailored intervention and a control condition. The intervention is designed for use with African-American, non-Hispanic white and Hispanic males and females who may be at risk of HIV through unprotected sex, selling sex, male to male sex, injecting drug use or use of stimulants.

Addressing HIV knowledge, risk reduction, social support, and patient involvement using SMS: results of a proof-of-concept study.

Men who have sex with men continue to be severely and disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. Effective antiretroviral therapy has altered the HIV epidemic from being an acute disease to a chronic, manageable condition for many people living with HIV. The pervasiveness, low cost, and convenience of short message service suggests its potential suitability for supporting the treatment of conditions that must be managed over an extended period.

Beyond reminders: a conceptual framework for using short message service to promote prevention and improve healthcare quality and clinical outcomes for people living with HIV.

The availability of effective antiretroviral therapy has altered HIV from being an acute disease to being a chronic, manageable condition for many people living with HIV (PLWH). Because of their ubiquity and flexibility, mobile phones with short message service (SMS) offer a unique opportunity to enhance treatment and prevention for people managing HIV. To date, very few US studies using SMS for HIV self-management have been published.

Using a modified intervention mapping approach to develop and refine a single-session motivational intervention for methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men.

There is an ongoing need for the development and adaptation of behavioral interventions to address behaviors related to acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases and for preventing the onset of chronic diseases. This paper describes the application of an established systematic approach to the development of a behavioral intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors for HIV among men who have sex with men and who use methamphetamine. The approach includes six steps: (1) a needs assessment; (2) preparing matrices of proximal program objectives; (3) selecting theory-based methods and practical strategies; (4) producing program components and materials; (5) planning for program adoption, implementation, and sustainability; and (6) planning for evaluation.

Behaviorally bisexual men and their risk behaviors with men and women.

Gay and bisexual men are often treated as a homogenous group; however, there may be important differences between them. In addition, behaviorally bisexual men are a potential source of HIV infection for heterosexual women. In this study, we compared 97 men who have sex with men only (MSM) to 175 men who have sex with men and women (MSMW).

Effects of a hepatitis C virus educational intervention or a motivational intervention on alcohol use, injection drug use, and sexual risk behaviors among injection drug users.

Objectives: We compared the effects of 2 interventions on alcohol use, use of a new syringe at last injection, and condom use at last sexual encounter in a community sample of injection drug users.

Methods: Between 2003 and 2006, 851 out-of-treatment injection drug users were recruited in Raleigh, NC, and Durham, NC, through street outreach and were randomly assigned to either a 6-session educational intervention or a 6-session motivational intervention. Intervention effects were examined at 6 and 12 months after enrollment.

Stimulant use and sexual risk behaviors for HIV in rural North Carolina.

Context: While literature exists on sexual risks for HIV among rural populations, the specific role of stimulants in increasing these risks has primarily been studied in the context of a single drug and/or racial group.

Purpose: This study explores the use of multiple stimulants and sexual risk behaviors among individuals of different races and sexual identities in rural North Carolina.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 41 individuals in 3 rural North Carolina counties between June 2004 and December 2005.

The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection.

Background: Heavy alcohol use, hepatitis C and illicit drug use each have been shown to have negative impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQL). To date, considerations of HRQL have not played a prominent role in the design and measurement of intervention strategies for out-of-treatment at-risk populations.

Methods: Data were collected from out-of-treatment IDUs recruited through street outreach in North Carolina.