[EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN HIV FOR WOMEN].

In Chile, it is estimated that over 38,000 people live with Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV]. In 2001, there were 1092 Chilean women living with HIV, and in 2006 there were 7,600, further affecting low income populations. These findings reveal the necessity to create prevention strategies directed towards Chilean women. OBJECTIVE the purpose of this revision is to analyze studies of prevention programs in HIV in order to determine what aspects should be included in successful HIV prevention programs with women. DESIGN AND METHOD a literature review was carried out using searches done in the databases Proquest and CINAHL, Pubmed and Scielo. The search was limited by the criteria of full text only, within the last ten years and free access, written in Spanish or English. Fifteen articles were selected for the following revision. RESULTS all of the selected articles measured the effect of an intervention on knowledge and behaviours related to HIV/AIDS. Fourteen articles produced significant changes in positive behaviours or knowledge related to the prevention of HIV. CONCLUSIONS prevention programs in HIV with socially disadvantaged women can be effective in provoking changes in behaviours and knowledge associated with HIV. Successful interventions were those based on prevention theories or models of behavior change and adapted to the culture of the sample.