The UCLA Healthy Living Project was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and was designed to promote health-related behavior changes in adults living with HIV. This project aimed to reduce sexual and injection drug use risk behaviors among 1,200 HIV positive men and women in order to decrease the likelihood of secondary HIV transmission. The research study focused on four subgroups: women, heterosexual men, men who have sex with men, and injection drug users. The study was conducted at four sites: Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, and San Francisco.

Interventions, Training Manuals, etc. : 

Cognitive behavioral intervention comprised of 15 individually delivered counseling sessions covering three areas: “Stress, Coping, and Adjustment,” “Risk Behaviors,” and “Health Behavior.”

In a random assignment study, individuals assigned to take part in the intervention were compared with individuals assigned to a control group, i.e. delayed intervention, on HIV-transmission behaviors, including unprotected sex and substance use. Because participants were followed over two years, longitudinal random effect regression models were used to test the efficacy of the intervention.

The intervention was demonstrated to reduce risky sexual behavior and substance use.
At the end of the study, the goal was to train service provider staff to deliver the intervention to their clients. By collaborating with service providers early on in the intervention study, it was possible to learn how to tailor the intervention to the specific needs of the agencies involved and the people they serve.

International Significance: