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Implementation of HIV Prevention Interventions in Resource Limited Settings: The Partner Project

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Abstract

Evidence-based HIV prevention interventions have been translated to a variety of contexts across sub-Saharan Africa. Non-specialized community health center (CHC) staff members have been successfully engaged to deliver the interventions, which can be integrated into pre-existing HIV service programs in community-based health care delivery sites. This manuscript describes the process of implementing the Partner Project, a couples HIV risk reduction intervention, and examines the ability of CHC staff to achieve risk reduction outcomes comparable to those of the highly-trained research staff. The Partner Project was implemented within the HIV Counseling and Testing program in 6 urban community health clinics in Lusaka, Zambia. One hundred ninety-seven HIV-seroconcordant and -discordant couples were sequentially enrolled to the control group or to receive the intervention from partner research or CHC staff members. Couple members completed assessments on condom use, alcohol use, and intimate partner violence (IPV) at baseline, 6, and 12 months follow-up. Sexual barrier use outcomes achieved by the CHC staff were comparable to or better than those achieved by the Partner Project research staff, and both were superior to the control group. A reduction in IPV was observed for the entire sample, although no change in alcohol use was observed. Implementation of HIV prevention interventions at the community level should take advantage of existing resources available within the CHC staff. This is especially relevant in resource limited settings as consideration of the financial and clinical requirements of intervention programs is essential to the achievement of successful program implementation.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the Partner Project team: Miriam Mumbi, Gilbert Chitu, Dorothy Mwambaza, Romanus Mphande, Irene Chituwo and Rosemary Banda. This study was supported through a grant from the National Institutes of Health, R01HD058481.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1400 NW 10th Ave. Suite 404A, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Deborah Jones, Stephen M. Weiss, Kris Arheart & Ryan Cook

  2. University Teaching Hospital, University of Zambia School of Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia

    Ndashi Chitalu

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  1. Deborah Jones
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  2. Stephen M. Weiss
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  5. Ndashi Chitalu
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Correspondence to Deborah Jones.

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Jones, D., Weiss, S.M., Arheart, K. et al. Implementation of HIV Prevention Interventions in Resource Limited Settings: The Partner Project. J Community Health 39, 151–158 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9753-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-013-9753-2

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