Biomedical subjects

Sue Vargo

Publications and source records attributed to Sue Vargo.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The VOICES/VOCES success story: effective strategies for training, technical assistance and community-based organization implementation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) project successfully disseminated VOICES/VOCES, a brief video-based HIV risk reduction intervention targeting African American and Latino heterosexual men and women at risk for HIV infection. Elements of the dissemination strategy included a comprehensive and user-friendly intervention kit, comprising (a) an implementationmanual and othermaterials necessary for conducting the intervention (b) a Training of Facilitators (TOF) curriculum used to teach agency staff how to implement the EBI in their setting, (c) a network of expert trainers who attend a training institute to become adept at using the TOF curriculum to train facilitators, (d) a comprehensive training coordination center to plan and deliver TOF trainings, (e) proactive technical assistance to trainers, and (f) post-TOF technical assistance for local implementers. This article reports on those strategies and a local CBO's successful participation in DEBI, resulting implementation of VOICES/VOCES, with unique approaches to adaptation and tailoring.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2004

Sexual behaviors and risks among bisexually- and gay-identified young Latino men.

This research compares patterns of sexual behavior and sexual risk of bisexually- and gay-identified Latino young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Four hundred forty-one Latino YMSM were surveyed at community venues in New York City. Twenty-two percent of the sample identified as bisexual, and 78% identified as gay. Bisexually-identified men were more likely to report having had multiple male sex partners in the last 3 months and less likely to report being exclusively involved with a main male partner. They were also approximately 3 1/2 times more likely to report unprotected insertive anal intercourse at last sexual contact with a nonmain male partner and more likely to report being high at last contact with both main and nonmain male partners. Findings suggest that prevention programs need to address the particular sexual risk patterns of bisexually-identified Latino YMSM that place them at risk of both HIV infection and transmission.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Using peer recruitment and OraSure to increase HIV testing.

We describe a community-based pilot study to boost HIV testing in a minority community through social network recruitment and a noninvasive HIV testing methodology. Over an 11-month period, the number of test takers at the intervention site increased by 71.7%, and the proportions of test takers with risk factors similar to those of peer recruiters (heterosexual sex and multiple partners) increased by 24.2% and 19.5%, respectively. At a comparison site, testing remained stable, while the proportion of test takers reporting heterosexual sex and multiple partners decreased by 42.5% and 21.8%, respectively. The use of a social network recruitment strategy in combination with an oral HIV test shows promise in increasing testing and in targeting populations.

Attitude to Health↗