AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, August 24 & 31, 1998
Daniel J. DeNoon, Senior Editor
But it does: and researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have organized systems to learn, and to teach, the most effective methods.
The CDC has established the Prevention Research Synthesis (PRS) database, a meta-analysis of all HIV intervention studies conducted since 1988.
"The picture that results is clear," said CDC researcher Ellen Sogolow. "Well designed HIV prevention programs have had a positive impact."
Sogolow presented the findings to the 12th World AIDS Conference, held June 28-July 3, 1998, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Studies included in the PRS had behavioral or clinical outcomes and employed scientific methods. To date it includes 82 studies, 72 of which were conducted in the U.S.
"Meta-analyses show HIV prevention interventions are effective for reducing sexual risk behavior overall and in different populations, age groups, and settings," Sogolow concluded. "The overall weighted average effect size of 0.28 is equivalent to a 14 percent risk difference favoring those who receive the intervention."
Even more encouraging are data from a subset of safer-sex interventions on drug users, presented to the AIDS conference by CDC behavioral scientist Salaam Semaan. This population is considered particularly difficult to reach with AIDS prevention messages.
"Our findings suggest that effective behavior change programs can slow the sexual spread of HIV among injection drug users and their partners," Semaan said. "Our challenge will be to help communities design programs that combine these approaches with the most effective interventions for reducing drug-related risks."
Sogolow noted that the CDC has developed several prevention "modules" to help local communities implement the most effective features of AIDS prevention programs. Such features include an outreach program to influence peer opinion leaders among young gay men and a video-based discussion group for minority women.
"CDC's role is to provide communities with the best science available to guide prevention efforts," Sogolow said. "Pulling the best prevention research together into a tool that can be used to analyze, evaluate, and replicate scientifically sound programs is the first step toward extending their reach."
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