CONDOM AVAILABILITY IN SCHOOLS - THE NEED FOR IMPROVED PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

Objectives. This article examines the impact of contentious local deba tes on the design and implementation of school-based condom availabili ty programs. Methods. Information about condom availability in schools was reviewed by 50 leading educators and health officials at a 1992 f orum held in Menlo Park, Calif. Results. Few existing condom availabil ity programs were designed to yield definitive data on sexual risk-tak ing behavior or other measures of program effectiveness. Conclusions. In the debate over school-based condom availability programs, as in ma ny aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention programs, scientific, moral, and political concerns overlap. Behavioral research into the potential effectiveness of such programs can help inform deb ates about fundamental values concerning sexual decision making and pr ivacy, family integrity and parental autonomy, and public health.