Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)

Dr. Krysia Lindan conducted a trial which compared a behavioral intervention plus HIV counseling and testing (C&T) with STI diagnosis and treatment, to C&T and STI care alone, among male STI patients in a public hospital in Mumbai, India. Participants in both trial arms received free high quality condoms as well as treatment for STIs throughout the study. The intervention consisted of an behavioral educational group session with individualized counseling at baseline, and booster counseling sessions every three months.

The primary study aim was to determine the impact of the intervention over time using biological outcome measures (STD and HIV incidence) and self-reported risk behaviors (condom use, number of sexual partners, sex with female sex workers, sex with men, and health seeking behavior).

Secondary study aims were to:

Evaluate HIV sero-positive subjects identified at baseline to describe their clinical and psychosocial needs;
To utilize alternative laboratory methods to estimate HIV incidence rates;
To assess the context of alcohol use in this population, and its specific relationship to sexual risk taking in the entire sample of recruited men, using event-level, quantity-frequency, and expectancy measures;
To assess the HIV prevention needs of male STI patients who engage in MSM behavior using qualitative interviews to determine the context of risky behavior, and to inform appropriate intervention messages.