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Behavioral
Intervention Reduces Risk of HIV Spread |
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HIV-positive
people can considerably reduce their risk of transmitting the virus to
others by participating in a cognitive-behavioral therapy program, according
to Dr. Stephen F. Morin of the University of California-San Francisco and
colleagues from the Healthy Living Project.
The researchers assigned 936 people who were at risk of transmitting HIV to
one of two groups: cognitive-behavioral therapy or no intervention. The
program included 15 90-minute sessions covering three modules. These
included discussing stress, coping and adjustment behaviors; teaching safer
behaviors; and implementing healthy behaviors.
To determine whether the behavioral intervention reduced a person's HIV
transmission risk, defined as "the number of unprotected sexual risk acts
with persons of HIV-negative or unknown status," follow-up assessments were
conducted at five, 10, 15, 20, and 25 months.
At the 20-month follow-up, there was a 36 percent reduction in HIV
transmission risk for the intervention group as compared with the control
group. "Unfortunately, the treatment effect in terms of a reduction of HIV
transmission risk acts was not maintained at 25 months," the researchers
wrote.
"Even small behavior changes among infected individuals can have a
significant effect on the epidemic," suggesting that the study's behavioral
intervention "can be effective in reducing the number of new HIV events,"
Morin and colleagues wrote.
The study, "Effects of a Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Risk of
Transmission Among People Living with HIV: The Healthy Living Project
Randomized Controlled Study," was published in the Journal of Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndromes (2007;44(2):213-221).
Reuters (03.21.07) |
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