Telephone-Administered Motivational Interviewing Reduces Risky Sexual Behavior in HIV-Positive Late Middle-Age and Older Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

By 2014, 50% of all adults living with HIV/AIDS will be 50-plus years of age. This pilot randomized controlled trial assessed the efficacy of two telephone-delivered motivational interviewing (MI) interventions to reduce risky sexual behavior in HIV-infected adults 45-plus years old. Eligible participants reported engaging in at least one occasion of unprotected anal and/or vaginal intercourse in the 3 months prior to study enrollment. Participants were randomly assigned to receive four sessions of telephone-delivered MI, one session of telephone-delivered MI, or no MI. Relative to 4-session MI participants, Controls reported approximately three times as many episodes of unprotected sex at 3- and 6-month follow-up, while 1-session MI participants reported four times as many unprotected sex acts at 3- and 6-month follow-up. No differences in condom use were observed between 1-session MI and Control participants. Additional large-scale studies that evaluate this intervention approach are warranted.