To reduce their risk of acquiring STIs or HIV, people must understand their risk and have the knowledge, skills and belief in their self-efficacy to reduce that risk. Evidence-based behavioral interventions provide information, motivation, education and skills-building to help individuals reduce risky behaviors and sustain this positive change.
Behavioral change interventions, based on evidence, can be delivered as part of the comprehensive HIV prevention approach. They may take place face-to-face or through digital media. Choices of content and approach, as well as of the medium, should be based on good formative analysis of the local community and situation.
Although the logic of behavioral interventions is primarily based on individual awareness and decision-making about risk, such interventions also can operate at a group or at the community levels. For example, interventions may involve training opinion leaders to communicate with their peers, thus changing perceptions of social norms about risk and risk avoidance.
