Interventions reduce risky sexual behavior and disease transmission among adolescents
THURSDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Comprehensive behavioral interventions in adolescents can decrease risky sexual behavior and prevent incident sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to research published online Jan. 3 in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
In a meta-analysis, Blair T. Johnson, Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and colleagues evaluated data from 98 interventions (51,240 participants, aged 11 to 19 years) derived from 67 studies to assess condom use, sexual frequency, condom use skills, interpersonal communication skills, condom acquisition, and incident STIs.
The researchers found that comprehensive behavioral interventions reduced incident STIs, increased condom use, reduced or delayed penetrative sex, and increased skills to negotiate safer sex and acquire prophylactic protection. They also found that initial risk reduction varied by sample and intervention characteristics but did not decrease over time.
"Results support the conclusion that behavioral interventions reduce adolescents' risk for STIs more broadly, increase condom use, reduce or delay frequencies of penetrative sex, and increase skills to negotiate safer sex and to acquire condoms," the authors write.
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