National Sexual Health Survey (NSHS), 1996

Investigators: Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS); University of California, San Francisco

The National Sexual Health survey (NSHS) obtained a probability sample of all U.S. adults 18 years and older residing in the 48 contiguous states. Among identified eligibles, 77% were interviewed and the overall cooperation rate was 65%. All respondents were interviewed by telephone from June 28,1995 to April 30, 1996 in Spanish or English using procedures to ensure anonymity and privacy and to verify study authenticity. Measures were developed to assess a wide range of HIV-related and human sexuality topics, including, but not limited to: condom attitudes, condom slips and breaks, HIV-related care-giving, HIV-testing and home testing use, STD histories, perceived risk for HIV and other STDs and optimistic bias assessments, extramarital sex, sexual development, sexual abuse and rape, sexual dysfunctions, various psychological scales (sensation-seeking, machismo), family assessments and history, health and demographics, an a detailed assessment was conducted of sexual activities with each of the respondent's sexual partners, and, in addition, demographic, geographic, and HIV/STD risk characteristics of their sexual partners were determined.

National Survey of Adolescent Males-1988 and 1990-91

Investigators: Freya L. Sonenstein, Joseph H. Pleck, & Leighton Ku

The National Survey of Adolescent Males 1988 and 1990-91 (NSAM) is a two-wave, longitudinal study conducted between 1988 and 1991. The survey followed young men from adolescence, the period of initiation of sexual activity and other risk behaviors, into the beginning of young adulthood, a time when sexual activity is often at its highest. This dataset includes data from both Wave 1 (1988) and Wave 2 (1990-91) of the survey. In 1988, a nationally representative sample of 1,880 never-married, non-institutionalized males ages 15 to 19 living in the contiguous United States was surveyed. The original sample of 1,880 males was drawn as a multistage area probability sample that oversampled for Blacks and Hispanics. The study's primary objective was to determine adolescent males' behaviors, education and knowledge concerning human sexuality, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases. Wave 1 data were collected between April and December 1988. The primary mode of data collection was face-to-face interviews. The most sensitive topics (e.g., substance use, risky sexual behaviors) were assessed with confidential, written self-administered questionnaires. Extensive personal histories of sexual activity and contraception use were gathered, as well as respondents' personal perceptions of the various costs and benefits of contraceptive use and fathering children. Information on school attendance and recent employment history were also included. Wave 2 of NSAM, which is also referred to as the Follow-up Survey of Young Men (FSAM), was conducted between November 1990 and March 1991, when respondents were generally between the ages of 17 and 22. Of those respondents that participated in Wave 1, the follow-up rate was 89 percent (N=1,676). Data collection procedures were similar to that of Wave 1, with the use of face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires.

National Survey of Men, 1991

Investigators: Koray Tanfer

The 1991 National Survey of Men (NSM-I) was conducted between March 1991 and January 1992, under a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to examine issues related to sexual behavior and condom use among a national household probability sample of males aged 20-39. The NSM-I was intended to serve as the baseline survey for a longitudinal study of this group of U.S. men. Data collection and processing were carried out by the Institute for Survey Research at Temple University in Philadelphia. In-person interviews were conducted using a standard questionnaire with 3,321 eligible males. The survey questionnaire assessed information regarding respondents' personal background; sexual initiation and current exposure; current wife or partner; previous marital relationships; non-marital sexual partners; nonsexual romantic partners; health and risktaking behavior; attitudes, perceptions and knowledge regarding health and contraception; and condom use. A self-administered questionnaire, which assessed self-esteem, locus of control, and attitudes toward marriage, was also completed by respondents.

National Survey of Women, 1991

Investigators: Koray Tanfer

The 1991 National Survey of Women (NSW) was conducted between March 1991 and January 1992 under grant No. HD-26631 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The NSW was designed as a follow-up to the 1983 National Survey of Unmarried Women (NSUW), which examined sexual, contraceptive and fertility behaviors, along with factors affecting those behaviors, in a national household probability sample of never-married women between the ages of 20 and 29. The NSW sample consists of two subsamples of women. Women in the first subsample (n=929) were first interviewed as part of the NSUW in 1983 when they were 20-29 years old and had never been married. These women were subsequently traced and reinterviewed in 1991. The second subsample of women (n=740) was obtained from a new area probability sample of 20-27 year old women, regardless of marital status; women in this latter sample were interviewed for the first time in 1991. The combined sample consists of 1,669 women who were 20-37 years old in 1991. In-person interviews were conducted using a standard questionnaire and assessed information regarding respondents' personal background; pregnancy history; sexual initiation and current exposure; current husband or partner; previous marital relationships; nonmarital sexual partners; nonsexual romantic partners; health and risk-taking behavior; attitudes, perceptions and knowledge regarding health and contraception; and condom use. A self-administered questionnaire, which assessed self-esteem, locus of control, and attitudes toward marriage, was also completed by respondents.

Nia: A Group-Level Intervention with African American Men Who Have Sex with Women

Investigators: Seth Kalichman, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Southeast HIV/AIDS Research and AIDS Survival Project, & the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Nia is a group-level, video-based intervention with African American men 18 years and older, with at least six hours of content. While the original researcher split the content into two, three-hour sessions, the intervention can also be conducted as three or four sessions. The goal of the Nia intervention is to reduce sexual risk behavior among African American men who have sex with women. The sessions create a context through which men can do the following: Learn new information and affirm existing correct knowledge about HIV/AIDS, Examine their own sexual risks, Build motivation and skills to reduce their risks, and Receive feedback from others. Nia sessions are interactive meetings that have both an educational and an entertaining aspect. In addition, Nia uses factors, such as male pride, racial and sexual identity, receiving and giving respect, and maintaining sexual pleasure while reducing risk, to reinforce procedures for risk reduction. A male facilitator helps create an environment where the men are comfortable learning, while a female facilitator is present to assist with practice of making and communicating safer sex decisions and to help challenge and change negative attitudes towards women. Nia groups can be held in a variety of settings, as long as they are conducted in a private room where the men will feel comfortable enough to participate.

Optimizing Partner Notification (OPeN)

Investigators: Tracey E. Wilson PhD, Matthew Hogben, PhD, Nicole Liddon, PhD, William M. McCormack, MD, Steve R. Rubin, & Michael A. Augenbraun, MD

OPEN, a clinic-based patient-centered program, promotes sexually transmitted infection (STI) partner notification in urban, minority populations with high rates of infection. A trained health educator delivers OPEN in 2 one-on-one counseling sessions. The first session (which lasts approximately 30 minutes) is delivered after the initial STI diagnosis, and the second session (which lasts about 10 minutes) is optional, and occurs roughly four weeks later, either in person or by phone. During the first session, the health educator engages in a discussion with the participant about the participant's risky sexual behaviors, and helps the participant to identify potential sexual partners needing notification of the STI. Then the participant and health educator develop a notification plan, and work on skills to improve sexual partner notification through role playing. At the end of the session the participant completes and signs a notification contract. During the second session, the health educator reviews with the participant any progress made on notification, and together they discuss any barriers encountered in notifying partners. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Poder Latino: A Community AIDS Prevention Program for Inner-City Latino Youth

Investigators: Hispanic Office of Planning & Evaluation and New England Research Institutes

This multifaceted community-based intervention targets Latino youth, ages 14 to 20, at elevated risk for HIV/AIDS. One goal of the program is to increase awareness of the disease by saturating target neighborhoods with public service announcements broadcasting risk reduction messages. In addition, the program aims to reduce infection by encouraging sexually active teens to use condoms. Project messages are reinforced through ongoing activities conducted by specially-trained peer leaders, including workshops in schools, community organizations, and health centers, group discussions in teens' homes, presentations at large community centers, and door-to-door canvassing. At all activities, condoms are available, along with pamphlets explaining their correct use. In a field study of the intervention in Boston, MA, researchers compared the sexual behavior of teens in the target community and a similar, control community. At the 18-month follow-up assessment, the intervention appeared to reduce the incidence of multiple sexual partners among females and delay the onset of sexual activity among males. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Point for Point

Investigators: San Francisco AIDS Foundation HIV Prevention Project & The Prevention Point Research Group

Point for Point is a needle exchange intervention designed for implementation in street settings. Needle exchange operates on the premise that increased availability of sterile syringes can reduce the prevalence of needle-sharing among injection drug users (IDUs). Needle sharing, the use of the same syringe by more than one person, is associated with high rates of transmission of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS. Point for Point relies on trained volunteers to operate exchange sites at which sterile hypodermic syringes are exchanged for used syringes on a one-for-one basis. Volunteers also distribute condoms and provide exchangers with bleach, alcohol swabs, sterile cotton, and other materials associated with safer drug-injection techniques. Point for Point was evaluated under the name Prevention Point in connection with the Urban Health Study (UHS), a long-term study of the IDU community in San Francisco, CA. Data collected through UHS surveys revealed that Point for Point quickly became the principal source of sterile syringes for San Francisco IDUs, and that IDUs who reported regular use of the needle exchange were significantly less likely to report needle-sharing than IDUs who did not use the needle exchange. Participants also reported a significant drop in the median number of daily injections, and the proportion of respondents who reported their first injection behavior in the previous year dropped significantly. An overall decline in reported needle sharing was also observed (Watters, 1996; Watters, Estillo, Clark and Lorvick, 1994). Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Portland Women's Health Program

Investigators: Brian W. Weir, MPH, Rosemary Breger, MPH, Kerth O'Brien, PhD, Carol J. Casciato, Ronda S. Bard, PhD, John A. Dougherty, PhD, Michael J. Stark, PhD

Portland Women's Health Program, a one-to-one behavioral intervention, aims to reduce HIV risk behaviors and increase life stability among women who were recently incarcerated. A community health specialist extensively trained in motivational interviewing (MI) techniques meets individually with women during 10 sessions delivered over three months. During program sessions, the health specialist uses MI techniques to empower and encourage women to explore potential positive changes they can make in their lives. The sessions are both directive, since the health specialist guides the conversation toward particular topics, and participant-centered, since the participant's experiences, views, and reluctance or readiness to change are central topics of discussion. All ten of the Portland Women's Health Program sessions address HIV-prevention in addition to life stability issues. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Project SAFE (P-SAFE)

Investigators: Tamara Kuhn, Charles Klein, Alejandra Moreno, and Carmela Lomonaco

Project SAFE is a computer-delivered HIV/STI prevention program specifically designed for Latinas available in both English and Spanish. P-SAFE includes videos of individual women speaking candidly about HIV/STI-related topics in their lives and communities, skills instruction by the health educator, groups of women practicing condom skills, and role-play and novela vignettes demonstrating intervention themes.