Effectiveness of Social Marketing on Reducing Risky Sexual Behaviors in Hiv-Positive Individuals in Iran: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Publisher



Mirzapour P¹ ; Nikoogoftar M² ; Dadras O³ ; Seyedalinaghi S¹ ; Mohraz M⁴ ; Pirnia B⁵
Source: HIV and AIDS Review Published:2022

Abstract

Introduction: Social marketing is an innovative measure that benefits different aspects of human life. It has been suggested that it could also be employed in fighting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and promote family planning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social marketing methods on reducing high-risk sexual behaviors in HIV-positive individuals. Material and methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial, involving sixty patients who visited voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, during 2017-2018 period. Respondent-driven sampling was used, and participants were divided into two groups through block randomization. Intervention group received a weekly social marketing training program in ninety minutes sessions, while control group did not receive any educational intervention. Questionnaire collected data on risky sexual behaviors (RSB) were evaluated using analysis of variance ANOVA. Results: Social marketing training package delivered in this study could significantly reduce RSB after 6 weeks of implementation (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Social marketing measures could be effective in reducing RSB in HIV-positive individuals. However, developing well-tailored social marketing interventions, which could address sexual health issues of the society is a challenging endeavor in religious countries, such as Iran. © 2022 Termedia Publishing House Ltd.. All rights reserved.