Document 0198
 DOCN  M95B0198
 TI    An analysis of the process of human immunodeficiency virus sexual risk
       behavior change.
 DT    9511
 AU    Blower SM; van Griensven GJ; Kaplan EH; Department of Epidemiology and
       Biostatistics, University of; California San Francisco, San Francisco
       General Hospital; 94143-1347, USA.
 SO    Epidemiology. 1995 May;6(3):238-42. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/95345207
 AB    Few studies have tried to identify the process of risk behavior change.
       In this paper, we present a method for the analysis of the process of
       risk behavior change; the methodology involves using time series data to
       form transition probability matrices. We apply the method to human
       immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sexual risk behavioral data from a cohort
       of gay men in Amsterdam. We determine the process of risk behavior
       change in this cohort, and we demonstrate that it is not possible to
       deduce the process simply from an examination of the static pattern. Our
       results imply that the risk behavior change that is observed in this
       cohort may be viewed as a homogeneous one-step Markovian process. This
       process of risk behavior change has implications for the long-term
       prediction of HIV seroconversion rates and for the design and evaluation
       of HIV behavioral intervention studies and vaccine trials. Our results
       also have implications for the interpretation of relapse behavior.
 DE    *Cognition  Cohort Studies  Data Collection  Health Behavior
       Homosexuality, Male/*PSYCHOLOGY/STATISTICS & NUMER DATA  Human  HIV
       Infections/PREVENTION & CONTROL/*PSYCHOLOGY/TRANSMISSION  HIV
       Seropositivity/IMMUNOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY  HIV-1/IMMUNOLOGY  Male  Markov
       Chains  Netherlands  Prospective Studies  *Risk-Taking  Support,
       Non-U.S. Gov't  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).