A cognitive-behavioral intervention among people living
with HIV significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission, results of
the Healthy Living Project show.
In a randomized controlled study, Dr. Stephen F. Morin of the
University of California, San Francisco and colleagues assigned 936
individuals with HIV, and at risk of transmitting the virus, to no
intervention or to a behavioral intervention.
The program consisted of fifteen 90-minute sessions, covering three
modules. One module consisted of stress, coping and adjustment
behaviors, the second involved teaching safer behaviors, and the third
was a program of health behaviors.
Follow-up assessments were conducted at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 months.
"Transmission risk, as measured by the number of unprotected sexual
risk acts with persons of HIV-negative or unknown status, was the main
outcome," the team explains in the February 1st issue of the Journal of
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
HIV transmission risk was reduced by 36% in the intervention group,
compared with the control group, at the 20-month assessment.
"Unfortunately, the treatment effect in terms of a reduction of HIV
transmission risk acts was not maintained at 25 months," the
investigators report.
Dr. Morin and colleagues in the Healthy Living Project point out
that "even small behavior changes among infected individuals can have a
significant effect on the epidemic." This suggests that the behavioral
intervention used in this study "can be effective in reducing the
number of new HIV events."
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2007;44:213-221.
Copyright©
2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar
means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of
Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the
content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the
Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the
Reuters group of companies around the world.
