Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113041

Alfonso Ang, PhD and Donald Morisky, ScD. Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive South, CHS 26-070, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 323 463 8850, acang@ucla.edu

Background/Objectives: The military servicemen in the Philippines have always been considered to be a high-risk group for the contraction of HIV/AIDS/STI. These soldiers tend to cope their stressful work situations with sex, alcohol and drugs. This study assesses the impact of a two-year community-based peer education program aimed at increasing HIV/AIDS/STI knowledge, attitudes and condom use among military servicemen in the Philippines.

Data/Design: A quasi-experimental, cross-over design was used to randomly allocate two groups of military servicemen (200 males in each group) into an intervention and control group. All groups completed a baseline, post-test, and follow-up assessment. Peer educators were trained through cooperative efforts with local NGOs to organize and develop educational materials based on prior diagnostic needs.

Methods: Hierarchical linear models was used to estimate change in knowledge, attitudes and condom use after adjusting for the effects of potential confounders at the individual and organizational level.

Results: Results of the program indicate a significant change in knowledge about HIV/AIDS/STI from baseline to follow-up (p< 0.02). There was also a significant increase in attitudes towards condom use from baseline to follow-up (p< 0.01), and a significant change in condom use after the intervention (p < .001).

Conclusions/Policy Implications: The peer-mediated intervention was found to be a viable and effective means of HIV/AIDS/STI prevention among military servicemen in the Philippines. Policy implication of this intervention identify how cooperative learning between the military organization and community based NGOs can contribute towards HIV/AIDS/STI prevention through participatory action research.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of using participatory approach to worksite health education
• Develop knowledge on the use of hierarchical models as applied to intervention studies.
• Critically evaluate the impact of STI/HIV/AIDS intervention from a substantive as well as a statistical point of view.

Keywords: Behavioral Research, Condom Use

Related Web page: www.ph.ucla.edu/morisky/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.