Effective Curriculum-Based Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs for Adolescents Print

By, Emily Bridges, Director of Public Information Services, and Rachel Harlich, Library and Research Intern

Child Development Perspectives, Volume 3 Issue 1, 2009

Douglas Kirby is well known for his extensive study of teen pregnancy prevention of STD/HIV prevention programs and what characteristics effective programs share.  (Read Kirby’s Emerging Answers)  In this most recent paper he examines curriculum-based HIV/STD prevention programs that have been rigorously evaluated and provides his findings.

  • Two-thirds of the programs had a significant impact on behavior.
  • None of the programs hastened the initiation of sex or increased the frequency of sex.
  • Effective programs gave clear messages about behavior, typically one that stressed the importance of abstinence as well as the importance of using condoms and contraception to protect from pregnancy and STDs if the young person chooses to have sex.
  • The programs that had the strongest evidence for success included ones profiled in Advocates’ own guide to effective programs, Science and Success.  Learn more about these effective programs:  Safer Choices; Making Proud Choices; SiHLE; and Becoming a Responsible Teen.
  • Effective programs also included activities that instructed youth to visualize situations that might lead to unprotected or unintended sex and how to get out of them. 
  • Of the small number of abstinence-only programs that met the criteria for rigorous evaluation, none were found to be effective at delaying sex, increasing the return to abstinence, or reducing the number of partners. Kirby admits studies of abstinence programs which are effective at improving abstinence may be published, but stresses that at this time no abstinence-only program has achieved this goal.

 

The programs that helped youth increase their self-efficacy for protective behaviors and had positive effects on knowledge, awareness, values, attitudes, and intentions were most effective.

Read the abstract

Ask Congress to end funding for abstinence-only programs

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