This application is in response to the RFA """"""""Communications and HIV/STD Prevention"""""""" (RFA MH 01003) and requests 4 years of support to conduct a randomized trial of an intervention designed to improve health behaviors and quality of life among people living with HIV- AIDS. This secondary prevention study will determine whether a motivational-skills building intervention, guided by the Information- Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model of health behavior change, increases personal capacity to access and effectively use information available on the Internet to empower the practice of health behaviors and improve health outcomes in people living with HIV-AIDS. The communications revolution has expanded the universal availability of information and created opportunities for millions of people with access to the Internet. Access to health communications and resources via the Internet has also demonstrated positive health outcomes for people with chronic illnesses. However, African-Americans, women, and the inner- city poor are at considerable disadvantage for using information technologies due to limited education, limited exposure to computers, and a sense of disconnection from advances in technology. The demography of AIDS suggests, and our preliminary studies confirm, that there is a significant information gap, or digital divide, between persons with HIV-AIDS who have and those who do not have sufficient information technology skills to use the Internet. The proposed research will test the efficacy of an information technology motivational-skills building intervention to improve information consumer skills and health benefits of information resources available via the Internet. The study will recruit, assess, and randomly assign 225 HIV positive men and 225 HIV positive women from community service agencies who possess at least a 6th grade reading level to receive either (a) 10-session motivational-skills building intervention designed to increase effective use of information technology; or (b) 10-session standard educational comparison group; or (c) 2-session minimal intervention control group. Participants will be followed for 12-months to assess the effects of the information technology motivational-skills building intervention on motivation to use the Internet, Internet use, health knowledge, internal health locus of control, social support, problem focused coping, health behaviors, health-related quality of life, and mental health outcomes. We will also test a mediation model based on the IMB model of health behavior adapted for Internet use and information consumer skills. In addition, we will examine the characteristics of HIV infected persons who utilize and benefit from increased access to information available on the Internet and identify personal and social factors that impede and facilitate use of information resources. If successful, the experimental intervention could be readily implemented as a community-based program by AIDS Service Organizations, health centers, and community-based Internet access providers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH063666-04
Application #
6747365
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1-BRB-K (04))
Program Officer
Pequegnat, Willo
Project Start
2001-06-12
Project End
2006-05-31
Budget Start
2004-06-01
Budget End
2006-05-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$581,527
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Connecticut
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
614209054
City
Storrs-Mansfield
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06269
Kalichman, Seth C; Cherry, Charsey; Cain, Demetria et al. (2006) Health information on the Internet and people living with HIV/AIDS: information evaluation and coping styles. Health Psychol 25:205-10
Kalichman, Seth C; Cherry, Charsey; Cain, Demetria et al. (2006) Internet-based health information consumer skills intervention for people living with HIV/AIDS. J Consult Clin Psychol 74:545-54
Kalichman, Seth C (2005) The other side of the healthy relationships intervention: mental health outcomes and correlates of sexual risk behavior change. AIDS Educ Prev 17:66-75
Kalichman, Seth C; Cain, Demetria; Cherry, Charsey et al. (2005) Pillboxes and antiretroviral adherence: prevalence of use, perceived benefits, and implications for electronic medication monitoring devices. AIDS Patient Care STDS 19:833-9
Kalichman, Seth C; Rompa, David; Cage, Marjorie (2005) Group intervention to reduce HIV transmission risk behavior among persons living with HIV/AIDS. Behav Modif 29:256-85
Kalichman, Seth C; Cain, Demetria; Cherry, Charsey et al. (2005) Internet use among people living with HIV/AIDS: coping and health-related correlates. AIDS Patient Care STDS 19:439-48
Kalichman, Seth C; Cherry, Charsey; Cain, Demetria et al. (2005) Psychosocial and behavioral correlates of seeking sex partners on the internet among HIV-positive men. Ann Behav Med 30:243-50
Kalichman, Seth C; Gore-Felton, Cheryl; Benotsch, Eric et al. (2004) Trauma symptoms, sexual behaviors, and substance abuse: correlates of childhood sexual abuse and HIV risks among men who have sex with men. J Child Sex Abus 13:1-15
Benotsch, Eric G; Kalichman, Seth; Weinhardt, Lance S (2004) HIV-AIDS patients' evaluation of health information on the internet: the digital divide and vulnerability to fraudulent claims. J Consult Clin Psychol 72:1004-11
Kalichman, Seth C; Benotsch, Eric G; Weinhardt, Lance et al. (2003) Health-related Internet use, coping, social support, and health indicators in people living with HIV/AIDS: preliminary results from a community survey. Health Psychol 22:111-6

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