5th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Chicago, IL - February 1-5, 1998

Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect 1998 Feb 1-5; 5th:81 (abstract no. 15)

Machekano R, Mcfarland W, Mzezewa V, Ray S, Mbizvo M, Bassett M, Latif A, Mason P, Gwanzura L, Moses L, Ley C, Brown B, Parsonnet J, Katzenstein D; Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA.

Throughout Southern Africa, HIV infection is increasing in association with other sexually transmitted diseases in social environments with frequent heterosexual partner exchange and little consistent condom use. In Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, an estimated 20% of the workforce is HIV-positive and 3% of workers acquire HIV infection annually. A three year study was conducted to evaluate a workplace-based. HIV/STD peer education and condom distribution program. The study was a randomized controlled trial of peer education conducted at 40 factories in a rolling cohort in which 20 of the factories were randomly assigned to receive assistance in establishing and maintaining a peer education program. Among 2,719 HIV-negative male subjects enrolled; 2,117 (77.9%) completed at least one follow-up visit. HIV seroincidence at treated (peer education intervention) factories was 2.35 per 100 person-years (py) vs. 3.11 per 100 py at control factories (crude rate ratio: 0.66) (2p=0.047). Estimates accounting for intent to treat, overdispersion and the factory as the unit of intervention demonstrate reduction in the rate of new HIV infection from 25 to 33%. Among intervention factories, there was an association between decreased HIV infection and increased compliance with the intervention (2p=0.08). The community based model provided efficiency in recruiting, following and evaluating incident HIV infection in an urban African population. This is the first randomized clinical trial of to show that educational and behavioral intervention tailored to the social environment, cultural and economic values of communities reduce HIV infection.

1998-02-01
15

Copyright © 1998 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Licensed from National Library of Medicine.