Background:  Many studies have documented that approximately a third of persons living with HIV and who are diagnosed and in treatment, engage in unprotected sexual behavior that may result in transmission of the virus to another person. While early studies explored strategies to reduce high risk sexual behavior among persons living with HIV, only recently have studies been conducted to test the efficacy of counseling interventions, particularly those delivered in HIV care settings. This presentation describes the Partnership for Health study, which tested the efficacy of brief, safer-sex counseling by medical providers of HIV-positive patients during medical visits.

Conclusions:  At baseline, unprotected anal or vaginal sex was less frequent for those with 1 partner (26%) than for those with 2 or more partners (50%). At posttest, among participants who had 2 or more sex partners at baseline, unprotected anal or vaginal sex was reduced 38% (p <0.001) among those who received the loss-frame intervention emphasizing negative consequences of unsafe sex. Unprotected anal or vaginal sex at follow-up was significantly lower in the loss-frame arm (OR = 0.42; 95%CI = 0.19 to 0.91, p  = 0.03) compared with the control arm. No effects were seen in participants with only 1 partner or only a main partner at baseline. No significant changes were seen in the gain-frame arm. Studies that tested similar interventions will also be reviewed and suggestions for future intervention strategies will be discussed.