HIV/STI prevention interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Behavioral interventions can prevent the transmission of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness and quality of available evidence of HIV prevention interventions for people living with HIV in high-income settings. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CDC Compendium of Effective Interventions. Interventions published between January, 1998 and September, 2015 were included. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Forty-six articles and 63 datasets involving 14,096 individuals met inclusion criteria. Included articles were grouped by intervention type, comparison group and outcome. Few of these had high or moderate quality of evidence and statistically significant effects. One intervention type, group-level health education interventions, were effective in reducing HIV/STI incidence when compared to attention controls. A second intervention type, comprehensive risk counseling and services, was effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors when compared to both active and attention controls. All other intervention types showed no statistically significant effect or had low or very low quality of evidence. Given that the majority of interventions produced low or very low quality of evidence, researchers should commit to rigorous evaluation and high quality reporting of HIV intervention studies.</jats:p>

Achievement of interventions on HIV infection prevention among migrants in China: A meta-analysis

“…This is the first time to evaluate the efficacy of HIV intervention in Chinese migrants. Several reviews (Crepaz et al., 2006 ; Crepaz et al., 2014 ; Globerman et al., 2017 ) studied the efficacy of HIV preventive interventions for people living with HIV in high-income settings, these studies focused on the specific methods of intervention among HIV patients, suggested that comprehensive risk counseling and services, provided skills building were effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors. While our study focused on the overall efficacy of HIV/AIDS interventions and the influencing factors of efficacy among migrants in China, our study suggested that the intervention conducted among migrants in China was effective in altering their knowledge, attitude, and behaviors on HIV/AIDS.…”

Agents of change among people living with HIV and their social networks: stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial of theNAMWEZAintervention in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…More broadly, a number of interventions have been developed that focus on promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights among those living with HIV, with the goal of preventing transmission and repeated exposure to the virus among individuals living with HIV. A significant number of studies have been conducted in the USA,7 8 and findings from low/middle-income countries have demonstrated mixed results 9–11. For example, in a prevention intervention among people living with HIV receiving treatment in clinical settings in Thailand a reduction in unprotected sex was observed overall, but not among men who have sex with men.…”

Gaming for safer sex

“…In June 2016, the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) adopted the United Nations Political Declaration on HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) that aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 (UNAIDS, 2016). However, the number of people living with HIV remains high (Globerman et al, 2017). In 2016, worldwide 36.7 million people were living with HIV (as compared to 35 million in 2013 and 33.3 million in 2010) and 1.8 million (as compared to 2.1 million in 2013 and 2.6 million in 2010) were newly infected (UNAIDS, 2011(UNAIDS, , 2014(UNAIDS, , 2017.…”

“…Even after more than 20 years of evidence-based behavioral interventions to reduce sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including infections with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the number of people living with STIs and/or HIV remains high (Globerman et al, 2017). In particular, young people aged 15-24 years are at high risk of acquiring STIs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).…”

“…However, with a quarter of a billion young people acquiring a curable STI for the first time every year, this age group accounts for nearly half of all new curable STIs at a global level (World Health Organization, 2013). A great variety of approaches for improving young people's sexual decision-making have been tested, including abstinence-only and comprehensive education programs (Carter, 2012;Kirby, 2008;Kohler et al, 2008;Stanger-Hall & Hall, 2011), curriculum-based programs (Kirby & Laris, 2009;Kirby et al, 2007), sexual health promoting programs (Schaalma et al, 2004), the promotion of monogamy (Conley et al, 2015), parental engagement strategies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014), and multipurpose prevention technologies (Fernández-Romero et al, 2015), so far with varying degrees of success (Globerman et al, 2017). What has become clear, however, is that the tailored development of programs for young people can succeed in lowering the high STI rate in this population (Catalano et al, 2012;World Health Organization, 2010), especially when delivered using digital technology such as internet, mobile phones, and gaming consoles (All et al, 2014).…”