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Synthesizing Gender Based HIV Interventions in Sub-Sahara Africa: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

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Abstract

Gender is a critical component of HIV and sexual risk interventions. Examining the range, effectiveness and methodological rigor of studies that include a gender based component can inform current interventions and future directions for intervention research. This review investigated gender informed intervention studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa that measured an outcome related to HIV. We reviewed 311 articles, 41 of which met our inclusion criteria, resulting in 11 articles that described eight different studies used in the analyses. The findings demonstrated wide variations in the types of interventions from low intensity educational content to multi-component interventions. Study outcomes were categorized into biological outcomes, HIV risk, behavioral, violence and risk reduction. Most interventions showed positive effects, and although research methodologies varied considerably, longer interventions appeared to be more effective. More research, however, is needed to build the evidence base for effectiveness of gender-based programs in reducing HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

Resumen

El género es un componente crítico del VIH y las intervenciones de riesgo sexual. Examinando el rango, la eficacia y el rigor metodológico de los estudios que incluyen un componente basado de género puede informar a las intervenciones actuales y a las futuras direcciones para la intervención investigativa.Esta revisóin investigó los estudios de intervención fundamentadas en género llevadas a cabo en África subsahariana, que medía un resultado relacionado con el VIH. Se revisaron 311 artículos, 41 de los cuales cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión, lo que resulta en 11 artículos que describían 8 diferentes estudios utilizados en los análisis. Los resultados demostraron amplias variaciones en los tipos de intervenciones desde baja intensidad en el contenido educativo a intervenciones de múltiples componentes. Los resultados del estudio se clasificaron en los resultados biológicos, riesgos del VIH, del comportamiento, la violencia y la reducción de riesgos. La mayoría de las intervenciones mostraron efectos positivos, y a pesar de las metodologías de investigación varían considerablemente, las intervenciones más largas parecían para ser más eficaces. Sin embargo, más investigación es necesaria para construir la base de pruebas para eficacia de los programas relacionados con el género en la reducción de infecciones por VIH en África subsahariana.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Texas, 211 S. Cooper St., Bldg. A, Ste. 201, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

    Eusebius Small & Silviya P. Nikolova

  2. Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Sarah C. Narendorf

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  1. Eusebius Small
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Correspondence to Eusebius Small.

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Small, E., Nikolova, S.P. & Narendorf, S.C. Synthesizing Gender Based HIV Interventions in Sub-Sahara Africa: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. AIDS Behav 17, 2831–2844 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0541-x

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