A new couple-focused study benefited African-Americans by lowering the rate of risky behavior among partners in which one is HIV positive, reports Health Day News.

Researchers chose 260 African-American couples differing in HIV status and offered them eight weekly two-hour session dealing with “communication, problem-solving and other interpersonal factors associated with sexual risk reduction.”

A separate group of 275 couples were placed in a program that focused on physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and HIV therapy medical treatments.

After six and 12 months the couples who focused on communication and problem solving reported reported having safer sex in comparison to the other group (63 percent vs. 48 percent). They also said they had 1.5 fewer acts of unprotected sex.

The study is the first randomized study to report “significant reductions” in HIV/AIDS among African-American couples. HIV infections among African-Amercans are seven times higher than Whites.