A behavioral intervention program that teaches strategies for practicing safe sex to HIV-positive men and women reduces both the incidence of risky sex behavior and transmission of the virus, according to a new study.

Current estimates indicate that one out of three individuals who are HIV-positive engage in unsafe sex. Unprotected sex increases the risk of transmitting the human immunodeficiency virus, as well as spreading other sexually transmitted diseases.

"This study is among the first to demonstrate successful HIV-transmission risk-reduction resulting from a behavioral intervention tailored for HIV-positive men and women," says author Seth C. Kalichman, Ph.D., a Professor of Psychiatry with the Center for AIDS Intervention Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The study, including 230 men and 98 women, is published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. It was conducted in Atlanta, an urban area with a relatively large HIV-positive population.

Individuals in the intervention group participated in five group sessions that consisted of lessons on coping with HIV-related stress and risky sexual situations; improving participants’ ability to decide how to reveal HIV status to sexual partners; and promoting safer sex practices. Individuals in the control group attended five meetings of a social support group.

Two group facilitators, including an HIV-positive peer counselor, led the intervention sessions. Fifty-two percent of the participants were homosexual, 39 percent were heterosexual and 9 percent were bisexual.

Six months after the end of the study, participants in the behavioral intervention group were less sexually active, less likely to engage in unprotected sex and more likely to use a condom. Estimated HIV transmission rates over a one-year period were also significantly lower for the intervention group.

"This study was motivated by the urgent need for interventions to reduce HIV-transmission risk for HIV-positive people," says Kalichman. "We conclude that behavioral interventions should be integrated into care systems for people living with HIV infection."

The fact that fewer people are dying of AIDS translates to a growing population of people living with AIDS and HIV and an increasing potential for the spread of drug-resistant strains of the infection, the authors note, adding this makes it all the more important to increase access to risk-reduction interventions that offer the "greatest hope for preventing HIV infections."

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine and the American College of Preventive Medicine, is published eight times a year by Elsevier Science. The Journal is a forum for the communication of information, knowledge and wisdom in prevention science, education, practice and policy. For more information about the Journal, contact the editorial office at (619) 594-7344. For copies of the article, contact the Center for the Advancement of Health at 202-387-2829 or e-mail press@cfah.org