1. Army women's evaluations of a self-administered intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases during travel
- Author
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Nancy A. Ryan-Wenger, Ashley S. Jones, Dana Jenae Moore, and Victoria von Sadovszky
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Sexual Behavior ,Psychological intervention ,Sexually Transmitted Diseases ,Qualitative property ,Human sexuality ,Intervention (counseling) ,SAFER ,medicine ,Travel medicine ,Humans ,Psychiatry ,Travel ,business.industry ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Focus Groups ,Middle Aged ,Focus group ,Military personnel ,Infectious Diseases ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Military Personnel ,Family medicine ,Women's Health ,Female ,business ,Program Evaluation - Abstract
Summary Background Military personnel experience seven times the sexually transmitted infections of civilians. Military women are especially vulnerable. No self-administered interventions to promote safer sexual behaviors are available for use by military personnel while on duty in austere locations. The purpose of this study was to ascertain Army women's evaluations of a new theory-based, self-administered, and portable intervention designed to promote safer sexual practices during duty abroad. Method Two focus groups were conducted at a large military installation in the Pacific Northwest. Army women ( N = 20) ages 18–49 years participated in the groups. Women first examined the intervention and then their reactions to the intervention were elicited with open-ended questions. The qualitative data then were content analyzed. Results All participants would either recommend or personally use the intervention. Positive features of the intervention included the type of information, a user-friendly and self-explanatory format, and that it was an aid to decision making about safer sex. Concerns included a tendency toward too much information and fears of non-acceptance by peers or sexual partners. Conclusion Minor changes have been made based upon these results. The intervention will be reviewed again and proceed to clinical trials with female military personnel and other travelers.
- Published
- 2008