Preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and HIV in women: Using multiple sources of data to inform intervention design

This article describes the process of developing a cognitive behavioral group intervention to help women at risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) be sexually safer. Theory guided the intervention development, which integrated data on the target population from multiple sources: survey research that modelled sexual-safety decision making, a community advisory board, a needs assessment, and elicitation interviews with women at risk in our community. The article summarizes the information obtained from these sources, describes how we utilized this information to adapt a previously tested intervention for gay and bisexual men, uses case examples from pilot testing to illustrate clinical issues in implementation, and delineates major issues of concern for intervention research in this area. This paper provides a model for behavior therapists for integrating research data and community input in the design of interventions to address community problems.