Evaluating a Culturally Tailored HIV Risk Reduction Intervention Among Hispanic Women Delivered in a Real-World Setting by Community Agency Personnel

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of Salud, Educacion, Prevencion, y Autocuidad/Health, Education, Prevention and Self-care (SEPA) to increase human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention behaviors for Hispanic women delivered in a real-world setting. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Participants were recruited from the Miami Refugee Center, the Florida Department of Health, and public locations in Miami. Participants: Three hundred twenty Hispanic women. Intervention: The SEPA is a culturally tailored intervention developed to address HIV/STI risk behaviors among Hispanic women. The SEPA intervention consisted of three 2.5 hour sessions per week conducted with small groups. The SEPA sessions consisted of group discussions, role playing, negotiation skills, partner communication, and skills building as part of the methodology. Measures: Acculturation, HIV/STI risk behaviors, HIV knowledge, partner communication, intimate partner violence, drug/alcohol use, condom use. Analysis: Differences at baseline by group were assessed using Wilcoxon rank sum test, chi(2), and a negative-binomial model. Changes in dependent variables, compared to baseline, were analyzed in separate models. Log-binomial models and negative binomial models were used for dichotomous and count/rate-type dependent variables. Results: Significant outcome improvements were observed in the SEPA group at 6 and 12 months follow-up. The adjusted prevalence of any condom use was 30% and 37% higher at each follow-up. The adjusted prevalence of answering 10/12 HIV knowledge questions correctly rose by 57% and 63% at each follow-up. Intimate partner violence was significantly lower at each subsequent time point (62% and 41% of baseline). Moderate depressive symptoms were reduced to 50% and 42%, getting drunk was reduced to 20% and 30%, and condom use self-efficacy was significantly higher (84% and 96%). Conclusion: The SEPA intervention reduced HIV/STI risk-related behaviors when delivered in a real-world setting. The results suggest that SEPA can be implemented in various settings to reach Hispanic women, and that SEPA could reach large numbers of women in an efficient, cost-effective way.