Intervention Curbs Risky Sex in Ex-Cons

Dr. Richard J. Wolitski of CDC and colleagues determined the effectiveness of Project START, an enhanced sexual risk-reduction intervention program, among 522 young men scheduled for release from prison.

"Because most men who are incarcerated return to their communities, the health of these men is an important public health issue," said Wolitski. "These men are part of our communities, and efforts to safeguard their health benefit the health of the entire community."

The researchers found no significant differences in outcomes between men who received a single session intervention and those in an enhanced intervention group after the 12-week assessment. However, by 24 weeks the enhanced intervention group was significantly less likely than the single-session group to report unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse during their most recent sexual encounter. The significant differences were due to differences in unprotected sex with their main sexual partner, but not with their non-main partners, the study found. Three months after the intervention, differences in favor of enhanced intervention persisted, but again there was no difference for non-main partners.

According to the researchers, men in the enhanced intervention group had a significantly lower recidivism rate by the 12-week assessment, though this difference was no longer significant by the 24-week assessment.

"Some people doubt the ability and the motivation of incarcerated men to make positive changes in their lives," said Wolitski. "Project START shows that establishing a continuity of prevention services that start in prison and continue after release can enable these men to make changes that protect their own health and their partners' health."

"In order to be successful, prevention programs for this population may need to address these competing needs that make it difficult for some men to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors," Wolitski said.

The study, "Relative Efficacy of a Multisession Sexual Risk-Reduction Intervention for Young Men Released from Prisons in 4 States," was published in the American Journal of Public Health (2006;96(10):1854-1861).

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