Transgender HIV prevention: implementation and evaluation of a workshop

• Published in: Health education research Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 177 - 183
• Main Authors: Bockting, Walter O., Simon Rosser, B. R., Scheltema, Karen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.04.1999; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adult; AIDS/HIV; Beliefs; Community Relations; Disease Control; Drug Use; Empowerment; Experimental Colleges; Females; Group Discussion; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Promotion - methods; Health technology assessment; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Individual Counseling; Male; Males; Minneapolis; Minnesota; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; Peer Teaching; Prevention; Program Evaluation; Questionnaires; Sexual Identity; Transsexualism; Transsexuals; Transvestism; USA; Workshops; Minnesota
• ISSN: 0268-1153; 1465-3648; 1465-3648
• DOI: 10.1093/her/14.2.177

Virtually no HIV prevention education has specifically targeted the transgender community. To fill this void, a transgender HIV prevention workshop was developed, implemented and evaluated. A 4 h workshop, grounded in the Health Belief Model and the Eroticizing Safer Sex approach, combined lectures, videos, a panel, discussion, roleplay and exercises. Evaluation using a pre-, post- and follow-up test design showed an increase in knowledge and an initial increase in positive attitudes that diminished over time. Due to the small sample size (N = 59) and limited frequency of risk behavior, a significant decrease in unsafe sexual or needle practices could not be demonstrated. However, findings suggested an increase in safer sexual behaviors such as (mutual) masturbation. Peer support improved significantly. Future prevention education should make special efforts to target the more difficult-to-reach, high-risk subgroups of the transgender population.