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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Apr 1:161:307-15.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.02.017. Epub 2016 Feb 18.

The male factor: Outcomes from a cluster randomized field experiment with a couples-based HIV prevention intervention in a South African township

Wendee M Wechsberg  1 , William A Zule  2 , Nabila El-Bassel  3 , Irene A Doherty  4 , Alexandra M Minnis  5 , Scott D Novak  2 , Bronwyn Myers  6 , Tara Carney  7
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The male factor: Outcomes from a cluster randomized field experiment with a couples-based HIV prevention intervention in a South African township

Wendee M Wechsberg et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

Background: This study examined the effects of the Couples Health CoOp intervention on heavy drinking, condom use, and HIV incidence.

Methods: Thirty neighborhoods from one South African township were cluster randomized into three intervention arms: Couples Health CoOp (CHC), Women's Health CoOp/Men's Health CoOp (WHC/MHC), or a comparison arm. We recruited 290 men from informal drinking establishments who reported drinking alcohol regularly. We also recruited their main heterosexual sex partners.

Results: At 6-month follow-up, men in the CHC arm were less likely to report heavy drinking (OR 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.90) and were more likely to report consistent condom use during the past month (OR 2.66, 95% CI: 1.23, 5.76) than men in the comparison arm. At baseline, 26% of women and 13% of men were HIV-infected; at 6-month follow-up, 16 females and 5 males had seroconverted. HIV incidence was significantly lower among women in the CHC arm (IRR 0.22, 95% CI: 0.04, 1.01) than in the WHC/MHC arm.

Conclusions: A couples-based intervention focusing on intersecting risks for HIV can improve biobehavioral outcomes, underscoring the importance of engaging couples together in HIV prevention.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01121692.

Keywords: Alcohol use; Condom use; Couples intervention outcomes; HIV incidence; HIV prevention; South Africa.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
CONSORT diagram for cluster-randomized trial
Fig 2
Fig 2
a. Changes in heavy alcohol use* between baseline and 6-month follow-up interviews**, by intervention arm and gender b. Changes in consistent condom use between baseline and 6-month follow-up interviews, by intervention arm and gender
Fig 2
Fig 2
a. Changes in heavy alcohol use* between baseline and 6-month follow-up interviews**, by intervention arm and gender b. Changes in consistent condom use between baseline and 6-month follow-up interviews, by intervention arm and gender
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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