 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Ellen Renée Wertheimer, MHS, Intrah/PRIME, B.P. 5328, Dakar-Fann, Senegal, 221 536 9270, ewertheimer@intrah.org
Many adolescents in the developing world are sexually active and thus at risk of HIV infection and pregnancy. Condom distribution to young people is controversial, and some policy-makers see abstinence promotion as an alternative. A review of available research shows that school- and community-based programs in the United States that teach only abstinence-until-marriage do not affect adolescent sexual behavior, and comparable studies in the developing countries are not available. Throughout the world, comprehensive HIV and sexuality education that includes information on both abstinence and contraception has delayed first intercourse and reduced unprotected sex among sexually experienced youth. Teaching young people about effective contraceptive use and safer sex behaviors does not appear to hasten first sex or increase the frequency of intercourse. Education programs should teach abstinence as the safest choice in the context of other choices, including contraceptive use, to prepare adolescents for risks they are likely to face in the future. Positive behavioral effects are greatest when programs multimedia campaigns have convinced sexually experienced youth to abstain. Research and social programs are needed to identify and address the antecedents of sexual risk behavior, such as broken families and poverty, especially for young women, who may have limited control of their sexual risk environment. Mitigation of risk contexts offers a potential point of collaboration between reproductive health educators and religious groups that wish to protect youth from HIV without teaching them about sex.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescents, International, Sexual Risk Behavior
Related Web page: www.synergyaids.com
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.