Pilot Testing an Internet‐Based STI and HIV Prevention Intervention With Chilean Women

Abstract

Purpose The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is high among young Chilean women, and there are no STI or HIV prevention interventions available to them that incorporate technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preliminary efficacy of an Internet-based STI and HIV prevention intervention (I-STIPI) for Chilean young women on measures of STI- and HIV-related information, motivation, behavioral skills, and preventive behaviors. Design This is a pretest-posttest study. Forty young Chilean women between 18 and 24 years of age participated in an investigation of the I-STIPI’s preliminary efficacy on STI and HIV prevention-related outcomes between baseline and a postintervention assessment. The intervention consisted of four online modules. Data collection was conducted in Santiago, Chile. Paired-samples t test analysis was used to determine whether there were significant differences in each of the outcome variables. Findings After receiving I-STIPI, women reported a significant increase in levels of STI- and HIV-related knowledge, attitudes toward the use of condoms and perceived self-efficacy, and a reduction of risky sexual behaviors with uncommitted partners. Conclusions The I-STIPI showed promise as an Internet-based intervention that can reduce barriers to accessing preventive interventions and increase STI and HIV preventive behaviors in young Chilean women. Clinical Relevance The study provided important information about the ability of an Internet-based intervention to reduce young women’s risk factors and to provide positive preliminary efficacy on STI- and HIV-related outcomes. Internet-based interventions can eliminate many barriers to receiving prevention interventions and may prove to be cost effective.

New digital media interventions for sexual health promotion among young people: a systematic review

“…There was substantial variability among the studies in relation to setting, sexual preferences, recruitment methods and outcomes measured. Although 16 of 25 studies recruited subjects either from an education setting (n = 7; 7,[11][12][13][14][15][16] e.g. high schools, middle schools and universities) or a health setting (n = 9; [3][4][5]8,[17][18][19][20][21] including sexual health clinics and hospitals), the remaining nine studies were defined by the recruitment method rather than a particular physical setting.…”

“…4,[8][9][10]13,[22][23][24][25][26] Many of the studies used multiple New digital media and sexual health Sexual Health methods of recruitment, with some (6/25) 4,5,9,12,14,15 extending the reach of recruitment through the use of shopping mall and community notice boards, and through collaboration with community-based organisations. 5,6,15 One study recruited participants purposively from a larger related study. 27 Most (22/25) of the included studies were conducted in industrialised country settings.…”

Youth, Technology, and HIV: Recent Advances and Future Directions

“…Two studies (49, 50), both theoretically based on the Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills model (51), used web-based formats to deliver HIV/STI prevention to youth. The Internet-based HIV/STI prevention intervention (I-STIPI) consisting of four online modules was evaluated for preliminary efficacy among 40 sexually active Chilean women (age 18 to 24) in a pre-posttest design.…”

“…The Internet-based HIV/STI prevention intervention (I-STIPI) consisting of four online modules was evaluated for preliminary efficacy among 40 sexually active Chilean women (age 18 to 24) in a pre-posttest design. At four weeks, significant improvements were found in HIV/STI knowledge (p< 0.001), condom use attitudes (p=0.019), and self-efficacy for HIV/STI prevention (p=0.044) (49, 52). Cybersenga, a school-based intervention consisting of five one-hour modules, delivered in four tracks based on gender and sexual activity (abstinent versus sexually active) was evaluated against a treatment-as-usual control group among 366 students aged 13 to 18 in Uganda.…”

Current Status of Knowledge and Attitude toward STI Prevention among Out-of-school Youth in the Philippines

“…[8] The scores of each subscale in the present study were lower than those in other studies. [9,10] This result indicates that this group is at high risk for STIs.…”