Engaging young men in sexual health care through community based organizations

High rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy suggest that there is an urgent need for more effective sexual health outreach and education for young men. To address men's need for greater access to services, a community-based educational intervention was implemented with African-American and Latino men in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. The intervention was delivered through community-based organizations that provide social services to men. Three, 50-minute sessions addressed: STIs, condoms, birth control, testicular exams, the need for regular health checks, and the Young Men's Clinic as a place to access health care in Northern Manhattan. The evaluation design included pretest and 3-month posttest assessments of men who received the educational modules (intervention group) and men recruited from the same program who did not (control group).

Intervention effectiveness was measured by comparing intervention (n=113) and control group (n=99) respondents on changes in their sexual health related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Preliminary results suggest that at 3-month follow-up, intervention group participants had significantly higher knowledge about STIs, more positive attitudes toward condoms and toward accessing health care services, and lower levels of risky sexual behaviors than control group participants. In addition men who received the intervention were significantly more likely to have sought sexual health care within 3 months of the sessions than those in the control group. This study empirically confirms that small doses of sexual health education delivered in easily accessed community sites can be effective in improving young men's knowledge, attitudes and health behaviors.