Impact of an intervention to improve contraceptive use through follow-up phone calls to female adolescent clinic patients.

Context: Adolescent females often have questions or concerns about their contraceptive methods, and they may discontinue use if these questions are not answered. Little evidence exists on whether follow-up phone calls to address young women's concerns can help sustain contraceptive use.

Methods: Between 2005 and 2007, a total of 805 females aged 14-18 attending a reproductive health clinic in San Francisco were randomly assigned to receive either regular clinic services or regular clinic services plus nine follow-up phone calls over 12 months.

Public health. Reassessing HIV prevention.

The largest investments in AIDS prevention targeted to the general population are being made in interventions where the evidence for large-scale impact is uncertain.

The impact of programs to increase contraceptive use among adult women: a review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies.

Context: Because rates of unintended pregnancy, abortion and unintended birth are very high among adult women in the United States, it is important to identify interventions that can increase contraceptive use in this population.

Methods: PubMed, PsycINFO and POPLINE were searched for experimental or quasi-experimental studies published between 1990 and 2005 that evaluated policies or programs designed to increase contraceptive use or reduce pregnancy among adult women in the United States. In addition, relevant journals were searched, experts were asked to provide further citations and several subsequently published articles were included.

Sex and HIV education programs: their impact on sexual behaviors of young people throughout the world.

This paper reviews 83 studies that measure the impact of curriculum-based sex and HIV education programs on sexual behavior and mediating factors among youth under 25 years anywhere in the world. Two thirds of the programs significantly improved one or more sexual behaviors. The evidence is strong that programs do not hasten or increase sexual behavior but, instead, some programs delay or decrease sexual behaviors or increase condom or contraceptive use.

The effectiveness of sex education and HIV education interventions in schools in developing countries.

Objective: To review the impact of sex education and HIV education interventions in schools in developing countries on both risk behaviours for HIV and the psychosocial factors that affect them.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review. Searches identified studies in developing countries that evaluated interventions using either experimental or strong quasi-experimental designs and measured the impact of the intervention on sexual risk behaviours.

All4You! A randomized trial of an HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy prevention intervention for alternative school students.

This study evaluated All4You!, a theoretically based curriculum designed to reduce sexual risk behaviors associated with HIV, other STDs, and unintended pregnancy among students in alternative schools. The study featured a randomized controlled trial involving 24 community day schools in northern California. A cohort of 988 students was assessed four times during an 18-month period using a self report questionnaire.

Boyfriends, girlfriends and teenagers' risk of sexual involvement.

Context: Having a boyfriend or girlfriend, especially an older one, is associated with increased sexual risk in early adolescence. The mechanisms underlying this association are unclear.

Methods: Middle school students in Northern California were surveyed annually from 1997 to 2000.

Statistical assessment of a laboratory method for growing biofilms.

Microbial biofilms have been grown in laboratories using a variety of different approaches. A laboratory biofilm reactor system, called the CDC biofilm reactor (CBR) system, has been devised for growing biofilms under moderate to high fluid shear stress. The reactor incorporates 24 removable biofilm growth surfaces (coupons) for sampling and analysing the biofilm.

The "Safer Choices" intervention: its impact on the sexual behaviors of different subgroups of high school students.

Purpose: To measure the relative impact of a school-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-, sexually transmitted disease (STD)-, and pregnancy-prevention intervention on sexual risk-taking behaviors of different subgroups of students.

Methods: Twenty schools were randomly assigned to receive Safer Choices or a standard knowledge-based HIV-education program. Safer Choices was designed to reduce unprotected sex by delaying initiation of sex, reducing its frequency, or increasing condom use.

Draw the line/respect the line: a randomized trial of a middle school intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors.

Objectives: This study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of Draw the Line/Respect the Line, a theoretically based curriculum designed to reduce sexual risk behaviors among middle school adolescents.

Methods: The randomized controlled trial involved 19 schools in northern California. A cohort of 2829 sixth graders was tracked for 36 months.

Effective approaches to reducing adolescent unprotected sex, pregnancy, and childbearing.

In the United States, there exist a multitude of different approaches to reducing adolescent sexual risk-taking, unintended pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted disease, including HIV. While many of these approaches have some positive effects upon some outcomes (such as greater knowledge), only some of these programs actually delay the initiation of sex, increase condom or contraceptive use, and reduce unprotected sex among youth. This article summarizes a review of 73 studies and their respective programs, and describes four groups of programs which have reasonably strong evidence that they delay sex, increase condom or contraceptive use, or reduce teen pregnancy or childbearing.

The impact of schools and school programs upon adolescent sexual behavior.

Because most youth are enrolled in school for many years before they initiate sex and when they initiate sex, schools have the potential for reducing adolescent sexual risk-taking. This paper reviews studies which examine the impact upon sexual risk-taking of school involvement, school characteristics, specific programs in school that do not address sexual behavior, and specific programs that do address sexual risk-taking. Multiple studies support several conclusions.

Antecedents of adolescent initiation of sex, contraceptive use, and pregnancy.

Objective: To identify the most important antecedents associated with adolescent initiation of sex, contraceptive use, and pregnancy.

Methods: Statistically significant antecedents in more than 250 studies were identified and summarized.

Results: More than 100 antecedents create a complex and detailed picture of the correlates of adolescent sexual behaviors.