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

Abstract #117622

Ann E. Kurth, CNM, PhD, BNHS, School of Nursing, University of Washington, Box 357266, Seattle, WA 98195-7266, Antoinette Angulo, MPH, CHES, Evaluation Team, Group Health Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Ave., Suite 1500, Seattle, WA 98101, Heather Hutchins, MSW MPH, School of Public Health & Community Medicine, University of Washington, Box 357660, Seattle, WA 98195, 206 860-3565, hph@u.washington.edu, David Richart, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 1002 E Seneca St, Seattle, WA 98122, Virginia Gonzales, MSW, MPH, EdD, Center for Health Education and Research (CHER), University of Washington, Box 359932, Seattle, WA 98104, and Matthew Golden, MD, MPH, STD Clinic, Public Health- Seattle & King County / University of Washington, 325 9th Ave Box 359777, Seattle, WA 98104.

Recurrent Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) infection has negative reproductive outcomes, and women with sexually transmitted infections (STI) have increased unintended pregnancy rates. Behavioral interventions can reduce STIs, but research rarely gets translated into effective practice. We set out to design an intervention that could be scaled to population health. Methods: We conducted focus groups and intensive interviews in English and Spanish with high-risk young women and men (n = 28). These formative data informed our motivational-interviewing telephone counseling intervention, which consisted of three sessions followed by mailed written summaries, with women ages 14-30 years (n = 24) who had ≥2 CT/GC infections in the last two years. At two months women mailed a urine specimen for CT/GC re-screening, repeated a phone-based behavioral interview, and completed an anonymous phone acceptability questionnaire. Results: Twenty-four of 50 women (48%) referred over a 3-month period participated in a longitudinal pilot of the telephone counseling intervention, of whom 20 (83%) completed all three phone sessions; four (17%) completed two sessions. Half the participants sent in urine specimens, and 96% completed follow-up questionnaires. Intervention acceptability was high. Conclusions: Formative research indicated that women at risk for bacterial STIs wanted didactic information, tailored messages, and strategies for sexual partner negotiation. A pilot telephone-delivered counseling intervention incorporating these elements was found to be feasible and acceptable, and merits further investigation to determine its efficacy in reducing STIs and unintended pregnancy.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Articulate the impediments in scaling up evidence-based sexual health intervention research findings into public health practice
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using telephone counseling to reach an at-risk young female population

Keywords: STD Prevention, Sexual Risk Behavior

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.