HIV Pilot Program for Chinese College Students: Differences by Gender

Purpose:

Nearly 10 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease annually. [1]. Young people are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and account for 40% of all new adult HIV infections in the world (UNAIDS, 2012b). Condom use has been identified as an effective means of preventing sexually transmitted diseases, however male and female Chinese college students may respond differently to educational interventions aimed at increasing condom use. [2] Chinese students account for 30% of all international students attending U.S. colleges and universities, but there are is a lack of linguistically- and culturally-appropriate programs for this student population. [3] The study intervention was based on the VOICES (Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex).  The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in the effectiveness of the translated VOICES intervention on the condom use intention, perceived benefits and barriers to condom use, condom use self-efficacy, and HIV/AIDS knowledge among Chinese college students in a U.S. university. 

 Methods:

A one group pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design was used.  Sixty-Seven Chinese students at the local university were recruited to view a 20-minute video with Chinese subtitles followed by one 25-minute small group discussion and condom feature education.  Questionnaires collected data on demographic information, condom use intention, perceived benefits and barriers to using condoms, confidence in using condoms in different situations, and HIV/AIDS knowledge.

 Results:

Multiple linear regression analysis showed that female participants showed significantly greater mean scores of perceived benefits (M = 4.653, SD = 0.472 vs. M = 4.405, SD = 0.761, p = 0.027) and condom use self-efficacy (M = 4.506, SD = 0.583 vs. M = 4.121, SD = 0.881, p = 0.031), in comparison with male participants.  Additionally, the multiple linear regression analysis showed that female participants reported significantly higher scores than male participants in five perceived benefits items and one self-efficacy item.   

Conclusion:

The findings from this study provides important information for developing more differentiated intervention strategies specific to gender, particularly in the Chinese international student population.