Evaluation of Project RISE, an HIV Prevention Intervention for Black Bisexual Men Using an Ecosystems Approach

Black men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) are among the populations at highest risk for HIV infection. We describe the evaluation of Project RISE, a six-session individual-level intervention developed for black MSMW using an ecosystems approach. A randomized controlled trial was used to test the effect of the intervention on sexual risk outcomes. Eligibility criteria included having both male and female sex partners in the past 12 months. Complete data at 5-month follow-up were collected from 86.7% of the 165 participants. In analyses controlling for HIV status, age, and baseline risk, intervention participants were found to have significantly greater reductions in number of female partners (p < 0.05) and total male and female partners (p < 0.05) at follow-up, compared to the control group. Intervention participants also were significantly more likely to report a reduction in number of sex episodes without a condom with female partners (p < 0.05) and with all partners (p < 0.02) at follow-up, compared to the control group.