This paper examines the influence of media messages about family planning, and attitudes toward media promotion of family planning, on contraceptive behavior of married women in Ghana. (Author)

African-American adolescents (n=195) completed measures on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, condoms, health locus of control, vulnerability to human immunodeficiency virus, peer sexual norms, sexual behavior, and contraceptive preferences. Girls were more knowledgeable about AIDS, reported fewer sexual partners, held more…

Studied sexual knowledge among Norwegian adolescents (n=1,855) aged 17-19 years. Found knowledge gaps among adolescents on sexual physiology and anatomy, sexually transmitted diseases, and fecundation/contraception. Level of sexual knowledge was higher among girls than boys and increased with increasing age. Sexual knowledge did not predict…

Faced with an alarming number of adolescents at risk for developing AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, school systems are tackling the controversial issue of making condoms available in schools. Three Canadian districts have installed condom machines. (MLF)

Sexual behavior, knowledge of sexually transmitted disease and condoms, and condom use was studied among 116 African American and white incarcerated adolescents in Seattle (Washington). Results indicate that these adolescents are at high risk and suggest that programs designed solely to increase knowledge are unlikely to effect behavior change.…

The effectiveness of small group condom motivation education in reducing new and reinfection rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among urban female teenagers was evaluated. Teens (N=205) were followed for six months. Findings are presented and health education opportunities are discussed. (Author/EMK)

To examine sexuality education in Flanders, teachers and principals were surveyed at 400 secondary schools. Respondents had positive attitudes toward school-based sexuality education, but time devoted to it was too restricted. The teaching strategies were not effective enough to change attitudes and behaviors regarding contraception and AIDS…

Surveyed rural parents regarding their perceptions of the characteristics, content, and comfort level of discussions about sexual issues with their teens. Results indicated that most respondents believed the family should play a prominent role in sexuality education, with help from the school starting before seventh grade. Most parents felt…

Teens encounter a barrage of messages about sexuality in popular culture--messages that shape their identities and schooling experiences in profound ways. Meanwhile, teen sexuality, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) increasingly arouse public panic. To date, however, schools do little to help teens make sense of their…

This paper reports findings from a content analysis of the main messages about sexuality in media outlets consumed by young people. It examines how sexuality is represented and the level of sexual health information provided in some UK magazines and TV programmes targeted at young people. Our findings show that such outlets included a vast range…

Research has shown that Latino parents discuss sexual topics with their children less often than do parents from other ethnic groups; however, communication about sex in Latino families is not well understood. The present study explored the content and process of mother-adolescent communication about sex to better understand how to facilitate…

Objectives: To examine effectiveness of abstinence-until-marriage curriculum on knowledge, beliefs, efficacy, intentions, and behavior. Methods: Nonrandomized control trial involving 2069 middle school students with a 5-month follow-up. Results: Intervention students reported increases in knowledge and abstinence beliefs, but decreases in…

When it comes to the reproductive health behaviors of teens and young adults, far more public attention has focused on women than on men. That's not surprising. After all, men don't actually have the babies. Yet the importance of understanding men's reproductive health behaviors should not be overlooked, given their potential implications for men…

Measures of adolescents' HIV/AIDS knowledge that cover only die basic facts may fail to assess underlying misunderstandings in need of intervention. We developed and evaluated a measure covering the broad domain of HIV/AIDS knowledge, emphasizing misunderstandings revealed in semi-structured qualitative interviews. These included the cumulative…

This study compared the predictive value of the theory of planned behavior in university students in South Africa (N = 251) and the United States (N = 160) who completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses revealed that condom use and intention were significantly predicted by positive condom attitude,…