Enhancing HIV Risk Reduction Among Indian Women With Risky Husbands
Enhancing HIV Risk Reduction Among Indian Women With Risky Husbands
This grant involved the development, implementation, and assessment of the feasibility and
 acceptability of an HIV prevention intervention for at-risk wives in Mumbai, RHANI Wives
 (Raising HIV Awareness among Non-Infected Indian Wives). The RHANI Wives intervention was
 adapted from the HIV Intervention Program (HIV-IP), a community-based, multi-session HIV
 intervention with demonstrated effectiveness among Latinas whose primary risk for HIV was
 from their primary male partner (Raj et al. 2001).

 Specific aims of this study are as follows:

 1. To adapt HIV-IP, a culture and gender-tailored HIV intervention for Latinas with
 demonstrated effectiveness in reducing risk for HIV, and to create RHANI Wives for use
 with at-risk Indian wives.

 2. To determine the feasibility and acceptability of RHANI Wives with at risk wives* in
 India. A two-group cluster randomized trial will involve random assignment of 12
 neighborhood clusters (25 women/cluster) to receive the intervention (n=150) or a
 control condition (n=150). Intervention effects on the more proximal and likely safer
 sex mediating outcome of marital communication for this feasibility trial will be
 assessed via surveys at baseline and 3 month follow-up.

 NOTE: Only 220 participants were able to be recruited into the study.

 *At risk wives are defined as having a husband at higher risk for transactional sex based on
 wife's reports of his risky alcohol use (drunk in past 30 days, 3+ drinking days in past 7
 days) or partner violence perpetration
Inclusion Criteria:

 1. married female aged 18-40 years

 2. fluency in Hindi or Marathi

 3. residence with husband in the area of study for a period of 2 months or greater

 4. reports that husband engaged in either heavy drinking- past 30 day drunken behavior,
 or frequent drinking- 3 drinking days in past 7 days, or lifetime spousal violence
 perpetration

 5. no plans to relocate from the area in the next year.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  cognitive impairment indicated at recruitment