A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Efficacy of a Brief Setting-Based and Theory-Based Intervention Promoting Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Among Heterosexual Male Sexually Transmitted Disease Patients in China

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is an evidence-based biomedical HIV prevention but under-utilized by male sexually transmitted diseases patients (MSTDP) in China. A parallel-group, non-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants were uncircumcised heterosexual MSTDP attending four sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics in three Chinese cities. A total of 244 MSTDP were randomized 1:1 into the intervention group (n = 108) and the control group (n = 136). In addition to the education booklet received by the control group, the intervention group watched a 10-min video clip and received a brief counseling delivered by clinicians in the STD clinics. The interventions were developed based on the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior. At Month 6, participants in the intervention group reported significantly higher uptake of VMMC (14.8% versus 2.9%; RR 5.03, 95% CI 1.73, 14.62, p = 0.001). The brief STD clinic-based intervention was effective in increasing VMMC uptake among MSTDP in China.

Trial registry: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03414710. https://​clinicaltrials.​gov/​ct2/​show/​NCT03414710.