Objective: To implement a STI risk behavior reduction program to reduce sexual risk behaviors in university-aged students. Participants: Fifty-nine freshman from the university participated in the STI Risk Behavior Reduction program. Methods: Pre- and post-test design using descriptive statistics evaluated the STI Risk Behavior Reduction Program.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a gender-specific intervention targeted to adolescent males to reduce sexual risks. Method: This study used a randomized clinical trial comparing a broad-based male empowerment curriculum with a no-treatment control group. The sample (N = 580) was recruited…

The study evaluated safe sex attitudes and intentions from a comprehensive, peer-led sexual health program for teenage students enrolled in three rural colleges in Mississippi. The methods consisted of pretest and posttest survey items regarding attitudes and intentions toward safe sex from 149 participants and a peer educator focus group on…

Innovative approaches addressing the elevated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk among men who have sex with men (MSM) or transgender women (TGW) migrants in South Africa are urgently needed. We sought to present the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary efficacy of 'Externalize and Mobilize!', a multi-session arts- and theatre-based HIV…

This paper explores the use of withdrawal as a harm reduction approach to adolescent pregnancy prevention and its association with condom use. Data come from a baseline survey of a randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of FLASH, a sexual health education curriculum. Study participants completed electronic self-report surveys in…

Objective: This study evaluated the longitudinal impact of the Teen Outreach Programme (TOP) on adolescent pregnancy, sexual behaviour, risky sex and sexual intentions in non-metropolitan high schools. Design: Pair-matched, cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: Non-metropolitan public high schools in Florida, USA. Methods: TOP was…

The Ugandan government has been criticised on several grounds for its abstinence-only policies on sexuality education directed towards young people. These grounds include the failure to recognise the multiple realities faced by young people, some of whom may already be sexually active. In the study reported on this paper, students' perceptions of…

American Indian (AI) men experience sexual and reproductive health disparities including sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, absent fatherhood, and intimate relationship violence. Using a case-control study within a community-based participatory research framework, we investigated the effectiveness of a sexual and reproductive…

African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than Whites to be incarcerated, and are also disparately affected by HIV, hepatitis C, and substance use. Reaching these populations as they leave prison is important given high rates of substance use and sexual risk-taking behaviors among U.S. prisoners. A 12-session, culturally appropriate,…

We examine efficacy of the Parents Matter! Program (PMP), a program to teach African-American parents of preadolescents sexual communication and HIV-prevention skills, through a multicenter, randomized control trial. A total of 1115 parent-child participants were randomized to one of three intervention arms (enhanced, brief, control). Percentages…

Adolescent girls incarcerated in a state reformatory (N = 246) were recruited and assigned to an 18-session health education program or a time-equivalent HIV prevention program. Cohorts were assigned to conditions using a randomized block design separated by a washout period to reduce contamination. Post intervention, girls in the HIV risk…

Science-Based Approaches (SBAs) have a number of specific characteristics. First, the development and implementation of an SBA must be fully informed by rigorous research. Second, an SBA must use strategies accepted in the scientific community as thorough and reliable. Third, the evaluation of an SBA must have shown it to be effective in achieving…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a fatherhood program on risk behaviors among three groups of young fathers: those still in school (21%), those who had dropped out (52%), and those who graduated from high school or completed a GED (27%). The sample consisted of 198 young fathers who participated in a school-linked…

As of April 2003, 64,801 HIV cases have been documented in Vietnam (Policy Project 2003), 53.9% of which are among individuals 20-29 years of age. Although HIV education efforts have increased, there remains a need for proven effective programs. We present findings from a randomized-controlled effectiveness trial of an HIV prevention program for…

This paper reviews published research on school-based programs to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors. Analysis of 23 studies of school-based programs supports several conclusions about these programs. About 93 percent of all high schools offer sexuality or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) education, and the majority of these programs include…