Lack of Positive Outcomes From a Cognitive-Behavioral HIV and AIDS Prevention Intervention for Inner-City Men: Lessons From a Controlled Pilot Study

African American men are at increasingly high risk for HIV infection, but there have been few studies of HIV risk reduction interventions for heterosexual ethnic minority men. The present study randomly assigned 81 African American men to one of two HIV prevention interventions: a four-session cognitive-behavioral skills training HIV risk reduction intervention that has been successful with other populations or a four-session HIV risk education and sensitization control condition. Men were assessed at baseline, at immediate postintervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Forty-five percent of participants dropped out of the intervention; dropouts were younger, more likely to have used condoms, and less likely to have been tested for HIV antibodies than men who completed the study. Outcome analyses showed that both interventions significantly increased AIDS-related knowledge, initial intentions to change HIV risk behaviors, and reduced unprotected vaginal intercourse. However, there were no significant differences between groups on any of the measures at postintervention or follow-up assessments. Recognizing the limitations of our small sample size, the results of this initial study caution against generalizing skills training HIV prevention interventions that have been successful with other populations to African American heterosexual men.