Reducing sexually transmitted infections among gay men

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7317.867

BMJ 2001;323:867 ( 13 October )

Letters

Reducing sexually transmitted infections among gay men

No doubt should be cast on efficacy of cognitive behavioural interventions

Social and behavioural interventions are effective in preventing HIV transmission

Authors' reply

No doubt should be cast on efficacy of cognitive behavioural interventions

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ We applaud Imrie et al for conducting a rigorous, randomised clinical trial to reduce sexually transmitted infectionsin gay men.¹ We have, however, concerns about the conclusionsdrawn from this comparatively small scale study to all cognitivebehaviouralinterventions.

Firstly, to see changes in sexually transmitted infections as a result of an intervention, we need to see changes in safersexual behaviours, such as increased use of condoms. The trialsreported by Imrie et al did apparently not produce significantchanges in safer sexual behaviour. Therefore, it was to be expectedthat no changes in the incidence of sexually transmitted infectionswere seeneither.

Secondly, the fact that this trial was apparently not successful should not cast any doubt on the efficacy of cognitive behaviouralinterventions. Other, much larger, cognitive behavioural trialscarried out with high risk populations in the United States andThailand have been effective.^2-4 Effectiveness . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Article

A cognitive behavioural intervention to reduce sexually transmitted infections among gay men: randomised trial: John Imrie, Judith M Stephenson, Frances M Cowan, Shamil Wanigaratne, Andrew J P Billington, Andrew J Copas, Lesley French, Patrick D French, and Anne M Johnson
BMJ 2001 322: 1451-1456. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]