• Stephanie L Marhefka, Hollie J Fuhrmann, Patricia Gilliam, Bernice Lopez, and Julie Baldwin.
• Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33617, USA. smarhefk@health.usf.edu
• AIDS Behav. 2012 Oct 1; 16 (7): 1961-9.

AbstractNovel strategies are needed to expand access to effective behavioral interventions for HIV prevention. Delivering effective group-based interventions to people living with HIV using video-conferencing technology is an innovative approach that may address this need, but has not been explored. Twenty-seven women living with HIV (WLH) who had just completed Healthy Relationships, a group-based behavioral program for WLH, participated in focus groups to share their thoughts about potentially participating in Healthy Relationships via a video-conferencing group. Overall, WLH supported the idea of video-group delivery of the program. They had numerous questions about logistics, expressed concerns about safety and confidentiality, and indicated a preference for accessing video-groups via special video-phones versus computers. Findings warrant further research into the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of video-group delivery of HIV prevention interventions and suggest important considerations for researchers and practitioners who may employ video-conferencing for intervention delivery.

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