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A South African couple-based HIV prevention program
Preliminary evidence of the long-term effects
Belus, J. M., Baucom, D. H., Carney, T., Carrino, E. A., & Wechsberg, W. M. (2019). A South African couple-based HIV prevention program: Preliminary evidence of the long-term effects. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 30(6), 648-657. https://doi.org/10.1097/JNC.0000000000000074
The goal of our study was to provide qualitative data on the long-term effects of a couple-based HIV prevention program, the Couples Health Co-Op (CHC), in South Africa. Qualitative focus group discussions were conducted with nonrandomly selected Black South African men (n = 27) and women (n = 23) who had participated in the Couples Health Co-Op 4 to 6 years prior to our study. The study evaluated: (a) salient content and skills learned, (b) long-term changes and challenges, and (c) recommendations for intervention improvement. Findings revealed (a) communication/problem-solving, safe sexual behaviors, and negative effects of alcohol were most salient; (b) long-term changes occurred in communication and healthier sexual behavior; alcohol use remained challenging; and (c) participants recommended continuing the couple format and suggested targeting teenage couples. We offer preliminary evidence of the strengths and weaknesses of the Couples Health Co-Op and provide a basis for future studies to build on these results.
