Kathleen M O'Rourke, PhD, MPH¹, Mary Roddy, PhD, MPH¹, Ericka Evans, BA², Tina Moore¹, D. Kim Williams³, Joy Coate³, and Michael H. Custer, Dr PH⁴. (1) Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Cannon St, Suite 302K, PO Box 250835, Charleston, SC 29425, 843-876-1118, orourkek@musc.edu, (2) Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Cannon St. Ste 302, PO Box 250835, Charleston, SC 29425, (3) Preventative Medicine, Ft. Campbell, Bld #2506, 24th and Indiana Avenue, Fort Campbell, KY 42223, (4) United States Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, 1824 Hanson Road, Edgewood, MD 21040

Background: The prevalence of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases is on the rise. Active duty soldiers are at risk of these conditions as a result of the combined effect of their age, deployment overseas, short leaves, and unequal male to female ratios. Military forces are socially and financially impacted by high unintended pregnancies rates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in knowledge and behavioral intent regarding about sexual activity and contraception after an educational intervention and determine if the changes differed between males and females. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a pre-post test design. The self-administered surveys were administered to newly-inducted solders at the time of their in-processing, before and after attending a four-hour educational program. Results: The 396 male participants did not significantly differ from the 175 female participants with regard to age, marital status, or military rank. Compared with females, males were less likely to be of minority ethnicity and were less educated. Women, soldiers <21 years, and individuals with a GED had higher knowledge scores prior to the educational program. For both genders, the program significantly increased knowledge about the time period in which the female is most fertile and the most effective means of birth control. Both genders were highly knowledgeable about the effectiveness of condoms in preventing STDs prior to exposure to the curriculum: thus, the pre-post test differences were negligible for both groups. The curriculum fell short of increasing participants’ intent to abstain from sexual activity in the near future.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Identify the impact of an educational program on preventing unintended pregnancy and STIs in a military population
• 2. Articulate factors associated with unsafe sexual activity among men and women in a US military population

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.