Reduced Sexual Risk Behaviors Among People Living with HIV: Results from the Healthy Relationships Outcome Monitoring Project

Abstract

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded seven community-based organizations (CBOs) to conduct outcome monitoring of Healthy Relationships. Healthy Relationships is an evidence-based behavioral intervention for people living with HIV. Demographic and sexual risk behaviors recalled by participants with a time referent of the past 90 days were collected over a 17-month project period using a repeated measures design. Data were collected at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months after the intervention. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the changes in sexual risk behaviors after participation in Healthy Relationships. Our findings show that participants (n = 474) in the outcome monitoring project reported decreased sexual risk behaviors over time, such as fewer number of partners (RR = 0.55; 95% CI 0.41–0.73, P < 0.001) and any unprotected sex events (OR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.36–0.54, P < 0.001) at 6 months after the intervention. Additionally, this project demonstrates that CBOs can successfully collect and report longitudinal outcome monitoring data.