Safer Sex
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
The goal of Safer Sex is to increase condom use, prevent recurrent STDs, and eliminate or reduce risky sexual behaviors among adolescent females that have been diagnosed with an STD.
The intervention begins with a video that aims to normalize condom use and provides information about condoms, such as types of condoms, purchasing, condom negotiation, and demonstration of proper condom use. After viewing the video, each participant completes a self-assessment to determine their stage of readiness for changing their sexual behaviors. Next, a female health educator reviews the video and discusses abstinence and STD transmission while ensuring that the information they are providing is appropriate for each participant’s stage of readiness to change. Participants are given condoms and written materials about safer sex and attend booster sessions with the educator one, three, and six months after the initial session.
The intervention begins with a video that aims to normalize condom use and provides information about condoms, such as types of condoms, purchasing, condom negotiation, and demonstration of proper condom use. After viewing the video, each participant completes a self-assessment to determine their stage of readiness for changing their sexual behaviors. Next, a female health educator reviews the video and discusses abstinence and STD transmission while ensuring that the information they are providing is appropriate for each participant’s stage of readiness to change. Participants are given condoms and written materials about safer sex and attend booster sessions with the educator one, three, and six months after the initial session.
Goal / Mission
The goal of the Safer Sex project is to increase condom use, prevent recurrent STDs, and eliminate or reduce risky sexual behaviors among adolescent females that have been diagnosed with an STD.
Impact
The Safer Sex project shows that individualized safer sex interventions may improve condom use and decrease the number of partners among adolescent girls who have had an STD.
Results / Accomplishments
Three months after the second booster session, intervention participants were significantly less likely to report having a non-main sexual partner when compared to control participants (p=0.01).
About this Promising Practice
Primary Contact
Dr. Lydia Shrier
Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Children’s Hospital
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 355-7181
SaferSex@childrens.harvard.edu
Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Children’s Hospital
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 355-7181
SaferSex@childrens.harvard.edu
Topics
Health / Adolescent Health
Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Health / Prevention & Safety
Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Health / Prevention & Safety
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Date of publication
Jan 2001
Date of implementation
1996
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Boston, MA
For more details
Target Audience
Teens, Women
Additional Audience
diagnosed with an STD