Engaging community businesses in human immunodeficiency virus prevention: A feasibility study

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of engaging community businesses in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention. Design: Randomly selected business owners/managers were asked to display discreetly wrapped condoms and brochures, both of which were provided free-of-charge for 3 months. Assessments were conducted at baseline, midprogram, and post-program. Customer feedback was obtained through an online survey. Setting: Participants were selected from a San Diego, California neighborhood with a high rate of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Participants: Fifty-one business owners/managers who represented 10 retail categories, and 52 customers. Measures: Participation rates, descriptive characteristics, number of condoms and brochures distributed, customer feedback, business owners'/managers' program satisfaction, and business owners'/managers' willingness to provide future support for HIV prevention were measured. Analysis: Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, Fisher's exact, and McNemar's tests were used to analyze data. Results: The 20 business owners/managers (39%) who agreed to distribute condoms and brochures reported fewer years in business and more employees than those who agreed only to distribute brochures (20%) or who refused to participate (41 %; p <.05). Bars were the easiest of ten retail categories to recruit. Businesses with more employees and customers distributed more condoms and brochures (p <.05). More than 90% of customers supported distributing condoms and brochures in businesses, and 96% of business owners/managers described their program experience as positive. Conclusion: Businesses are willing to distribute condoms and brochures to prevent HIV. Policies to increase business participation in HIV prevention should be developed and tested.