The Well Woman Program: A community-based randomized trial to prevent sexually transmitted infections in low-income African American women

In this sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention study, we compared the efficacy of the Well Woman Program (WWP), a nurse practitioner‐directed, culturally specific, intensive intervention, to minimal intervention (MI), brief lecture, and referral to usual care, in a community‐based randomized controlled trial. African American women having past STIs and residing in high‐risk communities were randomly assigned to the two groups. STI outcome was measured at baseline and three later points. A random effects logistic longitudinal regression model showed that, at baseline, approximately 75% of participants tested positive for an STI, predominantly trichomoniasis. At month 15, the estimated probability of a WWP participant having an STI was 20% less than an MI participant. Better STI outcomes were due to the intensive individualized intervention. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 32:274–285, 2009