SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMS TO REDUCE SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIORS - A REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS

This review was undertaken in recognition of the mounting public healt h and social problems associated with adolescent sexual behavior and t he importance of basing school-affiliated programs designed to reduce sexual risk-taking behavior on sound research. The authors were commis sioned by the Division of Adolescent and School Health within the Cent ers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, to revi ew carefully the research on these programs and to assess their impact on behavior. The authors identified 23 studies of school-based progra ms that were published in professional journals and measured program i mpact on behavior. They then summarized the results of those studies, identifying the distinguishing characteristics of effective programs, and citing important research questions to be addressed in the future. Not all sex and AIDS education programs had significant effects on ad olescent sexual risk-taking behavior, but specific programs did delay the initiation of intercourse, reduce the frequency of intercourse, re duce the number of sexual partners, or increase the use of condoms or other contraceptives. These effective programs have the potential to r educe exposure to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseas e, including HIV infection. These programs should be replicated widely in U.S. schools. Additional research is needed to improve the effecti vness of programs and to clarify the most important characteristics of effective programs.