Testing the Effectiveness of the VOICES/VOCES HIV Intervention

Techniques used: Randomized clinical trial; clinic record review; survival analyses of epidemiologic data; cost analyses

In a series of research studies, the Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES/VOCES) HIV prevention intervention has been shown to reduce new sexually transmitted infections and encourage condom use among high-risk heterosexual African American and Latino men and women, populations that bear a disproportionate burden of the AIDS epidemic in the United States.

This study evaluated whether VOICES/VOCES, a one-session, video-based behavioral intervention developed by HHD, is outcome- and cost-effective when implemented by health educators under routine clinic conditions in “real world” settings in New York City and Puerto Rico. Effectiveness was assessed for three primary outcomes: a “new” infection at follow-up; redemption of a coupon obtained at the clinic visit for condoms; and improvements in knowledge and positive attitudes about condom use.

On all three outcomes, positive effects were noted for the two sites combined and, especially, for New York. This study replicated positive outcomes, including cost-effectiveness, first documented in the initial efficacy trial conducted by HHD researchers.