Neutral HIV presentations more likely to be considered inviting, s...( A recent study by University of Illi...),Health

A recent study by University of Illinois professor of psychology Dolores Albarracn and her colleagues at the University of Florida and the Alachua County Health Department in Florida found a method to increase enrollment among high-risk individuals in HIV prevention programs.

The study, which appeared this month in the journal Health Psychology, found that by offering an experimental introduction to a counseling session, public health institutions could increase enrollment by a significant amount.

Previous research by Albarracn found that those most likely to engage in behavior that puts them at a high risk for HIV are also the least likely to enroll and stay in HIV intervention programs.

Therefore the researchers studied the effects of delivering different messages to participants screened for high-risk behavior as an invitation to a counseling program delivered at the Alachua County Health Department in Gainesville, Fla. They found one message that increased enrollment among participants.

All the messages informed participants who had signed up for a generic health study that they could speak to a HIV-prevention counselor. In the experimental condition, they were also told that the counseling session was not intended to change their behavior, only to provide them with the most current information. Compared with a message that indicated that the counseling increased condom use, recipients of the experimental message enrolled at a rate higher by 15 percent. This effect was particularly strong when participants had no intention of using condoms at the beginning of the study.

"This kind of research has tremendous public health implications," Albarracn said.

"Public health experts around the world are regularly in search of the most effective methods for curbing preventable health problems," she said. "HIV is a disease caused by a number of risky behaviors like unsafe sex and unsafe needle sharing,
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