Turning Research Into Previous

Turning Research Into Prevention

Dr. Miriam Vega
Principal Investigator

Bethsy Morales
Program Director

The Turning Research Into Prevention (TRIP) program at the Latino Commission on AIDS is a two year program funded (Oct 2008- Sept 2010) by the Centers and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to package an efficacious behavioral intervention called Insights for possible national dissemination and implementation.

Background

INSIGHTS is a tailored minimal self-help intervention to promote condom use in young women (18-24 years old). In the original research project, the researchers used a randomized controlled trial in two U.S. managed-care settings: Group Health Cooperative, a mixed-model health care system in Washington State, and the Duke Health System, a network of affiliated practices, clinics, and hospitals based in Durham, N.C.

Target Population

The study targeted non-monogamous sexually active women ages 18-24 at risk for heterosexual HIV/STD acquisition. The researchers randomly allocated the sample of 1,210 young women into two groups: intervention or usual care.

Intervention

Participants in the intervention group received two rounds of individually tailored materials. Following the baseline survey (women's health survey), researchers sent them a 12-page booklet, Insights, a self-help publication containing what the accompanying letter described as "information especially selected for you based on your answers to a recent women's health survey."

Through the use of a tailoring algorithm, an individual's survey results were used to select the appropriate messages from the message library and place them in the Insights magazine. Hundreds of different versions of Insights were used in the intervention. The packet also contained a "safe sex" kit including male and female condoms, a condom carrying case, and instructions on using condoms. After the three-month survey, intervention participants got a tailored booster feedback newsletter, Extra Insights, and a condom packet.

Research Results

Eighty-five percent of the sample completed the six-month follow-up. Nearly all participants in the intervention group (96%) recalled receiving one or both of the packets. Of those who read the materials, 66% found them personally relevant; 62% felt the materials encouraged them to use condoms, and 59% of those who were sexually active reported using the condoms included in their packet. At the six-month follow-up, the odds of using condoms during the prior three months with any partner and with a primary partner were significantly higher for intervention than for usual care participants. The researchers found 10% greater overall condom use and 12% greater use with primary partners for the intervention group.

They concluded that: "Young women at risk for heterosexual acquisition or transmission of HIV/STD are in need of effective interventions. Our purpose in undertaking this trial was to conduct an initial rigorous evaluation of tailored minimal self-help interventions as HIV/STD prevention strategies with this target population. The encouraging findings provide evidence of efficacy and of applicability to diverse communities and settings."


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