Sexually Transmitted Diseases · 2005 · 52 citations · 22 references
Public HealthCounselingPreventive MedicineHiv ControlHiv PreventionSexual Health EducationCounseling InterventionsPrevention Of Sexual TransmissionSexual Health PreventionSexual Risk ReductionSexually Transmitted Infection PreventionSexually Transmitted InfectionsHiv Prevention CounselingRelative Risk ReductionSexual Behavior ChangeSexual CounselingSexual Risk Behavior PreventionSexual Risk PreventionSexual Risk Reduction CounselingSexually Transmitted Infection Prevention Counseling
BACKGROUND: HIV counseling prevents sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with most of the benefit accumulating in the first 6 months. STUDY: The authors conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of a 20-minute additional (booster) counseling session 6 months after HIV counseling compared with no additional counseling for prevention of STDs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis). Participants were 15- to 39-year-old STD clinic patients in Denver, Long Beach, and Newark. RESULTS: Booster counseling was completed by 1120 (67.8%) of 1653 assigned to receive it. An incident STD during the 6 to 12 months after initial counseling (and within the 6 months after scheduled booster counseling) was detected in 141 of 1653 (8.5%) participants in the booster counseling group and 144 of 1644 (8.8%) in the no-booster group (relative risk, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.78-1.22). Three months after booster counseling, sexual risk behaviors were reported less frequently by the booster group than the no-booster group. CONCLUSIONS: Booster counseling 6 months after HIV testing and counseling reduced reported sexual risk behavior but did not prevent STDs.
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