Sexuality Education

Sexual Health Promotion Programs

One of the most often asked questions regarding sexuality education is: "is it effective? Research studies have demonstrated that comprehensive sexuality education can be effective at delaying the onset of sexual intercourse and promoting contraceptive and condom use when young people do begin to engage in sexual behavior. Researchers have identified effective program models as well as general characteristics of effective programs.

The Program Archive on Sexuality, Health and Adolescence (PASHA). This program is a project of Sociometrics Corporation. PASHA is a collection of teen pregnancy and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention programs that have been evaluated and shown to be effective at delaying the onset of sexual intercourse and increasing the use of condoms and contraception.

Primary Prevention Programs

Human Sexuality -Values & Choices: A Values-Based Curriculum for 7th and 8th Grades. This program was developed by the Search Institute to reduce teenage pregnancy by promoting seven core values that support sexual abstinence and healthy social relationships: equality, self control, promise keeping, responsibility, respect, honesty, and social justice. The 15 student lessons include role plays, group discussions, and behavior skills exercises. The program also contains three lessons for parents or adults. This program is suitable for schools and other community organizations that provide education or services to this age group.

Project TAKING CHARGE. This program was developed by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for junior high school home economics classes. The program is based on the premise that vocational planning can give teens alternatives to early sexual involvement and parenthood. It integrates family life education, decision making, and goal setting with vocational exploration. Project TAKING CHARGE promotes abstinence as the correct choice for adolescents and does not include material on contraception. The curriculum includes 27 class lessons and three parent-youth sessions in which adults are encouraged to communicate their own sexual values and assist teens in defining occupational goals. This program is suitable for use in schools or community-based organizations.

Reducing the Risk. This program was developed for use in high school sexuality education classes. It aims to reduce the frequency of unprotected sexual intercourse through delaying or reducing the frequency of intercourse and increasing contraceptive and STD-protection awareness. The curriculum is intended as one component of a comprehensive program and aims to change student norms about unprotected sexual activity and perceptions of peer sexual activity, as well as to strengthen parent-child communication about sexuality. The 16 lessons use role plays, skill-building activities, quizzes, and homework. This program is suitable for schools or community-based organizations.

Reproductive Health Counseling for Young Men. This one-hour, single-session program was developed for use with boys between 15 and 18 years of age in a clinic setting. The program promotes abstinence and contraception. Program materials include a video that addresses reproductive anatomy, fertility, testicular self-examination, STDs, communication skills, and health services. It is followed by a half-hour private consultation with a health care practitioner. This program is suitable for use in hospital- or community-based clinics.

School/Community Program for Sexual Risk Reduction among Teens. This program is a community-wide public outreach campaign that aims to engage the entire community in preventing pregnancy among unmarried adolescents. Public schools, universities, church groups, and civic organizations are targeted as sites for training and workshops on anatomy, sexual development, sexual awareness, values clarification, and communication skills. Abstinence is promoted as the preferred sexual health decision. Contraceptive information is provided, however, for teens who choose to become sexually active. The program is suitable for any community in collaboration with a variety of organizations, including schools.

School-Linked Reproductive Health Services (The Self Center). This program was developed as a partnership between junior and senior high schools and a neighborhood clinic. This program combines education, counseling, and reproductive services. School-based components include presentations on decision making, values clarification, and reproductive health as well as informal discussion groups consisting of students and staff. Individual counseling sessions are available when needed. This program can be implemented either by school-clinic or community-clinic partnerships.

Tailoring Family Planning Services to The Special Needs of Adolescents: New Adolescent Approach Protocols. This program was developed for teens under 18 years of age in a clinic setting. The program provides family planning services in a manner that will increase teens’ sense of comfort and self-confidence while reducing fears that may discourage contraceptive use. It is based on the premise that offering teens information, social support, and counseling in addition to health and medical services can increase contraceptive use. The intervention includes one-on-one education. This program is suitable for use in community-, hospital- or school-based family planning clinics.

Teen Talk. This program was developed as a collaborative effort between schools and community-health centers to provide information about contraception and sexuality to teens 13 to 19 years of age. The program includes two lectures on reproduction, contraception methods, and contraceptive effectiveness. Teens then participate in four small group discussions on contraception, the risks and consequences of teenage pregnancy, and skills that reinforce the decision to remain abstinent. The sessions include games, role plays, and short videos. This program is suitable for use in community-based organizations, schools and school districts, or as a collaboration between community-based organizations and schools.

Secondary Prevention Programs

A Health Care Program for First-Time Adolescent Mothers and Their Infants: This program was developed for low-income, unmarried teens in a clinic setting. It aims to help first-time mothers prevent repeat pregnancies, return to school, improve immunization rates for their infants, and reduce their use of hospital emergency room services for routine infant care. The program combines well-baby visits with family planning discussions and instruction in parenting skills. This program is suitable for use in hospital or community clinics provided that comprehensive medical and counseling services are available.

Queens Hospital Center’s Teenage Program: This clinic-based program was developed for pregnant teens. The program begins during pregnancy and provides these teens with a team of practitioners including an obstetrician-gynecologist, a pediatrician, a social worker, and a health educator. The program also has a physician/practitioner who is “on call’ 24 hours a day. Reproductive health and family life education classes are offered to the adolescent, her partner, and her family. This program is suitable for use in hospital- or community-based clinics, provided that comprehensive medical and counseling services are available.

STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention

Adolescents Living Safely: AIDS Awareness, Attitudes, and Actions. This program was developed to meet the comprehensive needs of runaway youth between 11 and 18 years of age. The program consists of 20 small group discussions along with case management and private counseling. In the discussions, students receive general information about HIV/AIDS, review commercially available videos, and create their own education material. The case management and counseling components are designed to identify individual needs and provide youth with appropriate services. This program is suitable for use in a variety of community-based organizations serving high-risk youth as well as residential treatment programs.

Adolescents Living Safely: AIDS Awareness, Attitudes, and Actions for Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Teens. This program was developed to provide education, social services, medical services, and peer support to gay and bisexual youth between 14 and 18 years of age. The program consists of small group discussion sessions, case management, comprehensive health care, and risk assessment counseling. In the discussions, students receive general information about HIV/AIDS - review commercially available videos, and create their own education material. The case management and counseling components are designed to identify individual needs and provide youth with appropriate services. This program is suitable for a variety of community- or clinic-based organizations serving high-risk youth as well as residential treatment programs.

AIDS Prevention and Health Promotion among Women. This program is designed to assist women between 16 and 29 years of age in developing and following a sound sexual health plan. The program is made up of four small group sessions conducted over four months which include role plays, cognitive rehearsal, and guided exercises designed to encourage healthy choices about sexuality. This program is suitable for clinics and community-based organizations. Although the original field study was conducted with pregnant women, the program is appropriate for older adolescents and young women (ages 16+).

AIDS Prevention for Adolescents in School. This program was developed for use in high school classrooms. The program consists of six class sessions which focus on general information about the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, myths about peers’ sexual behavior, and values clarification. The final class lesson discusses the purchase and use of condoms. This program is suitable for school classrooms and community-based organizations.

ARREST: AIDS Risk Reduction Education and Skills Training Program. This program was developed for teens between 12 and 16 years of age. The program consists of three 90-minute, small-group discussions which focus on information on HIV/AIDS, purchasing condoms, self-assessment of risk behaviors, peer group support, and training in decision-making, communication and assertiveness skills. This program is suitable for community-based organizations and schools.

AIDS Risk Reduction for College Students. This program was designed as a workshop for college students on HIV/AIDS risk reduction. Students receive information on transmission and prevention of HIV, HIV testing, and the importance of condoms for protection. In a motivational component, students view a video about people who contracted HIV through unsafe heterosexual intercourse and discuss it in small groups. Students then participate in role plays to practice behavioral skills. This program is suitable for a variety of school or community settings with college participants.

A Clinic-Based AIDS Education Program for Female Adolescents. This program was developed as a one-time intervention targeted toward sexually active girls between 13 and 21 years of age. The session includes a brief lecture on the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS followed by a video on the use of condoms. Participants also receive a booklet reinforcing the program’s lessons and coupons that they can redeem anonymously for an unmarked box of condoms at a local pharmacy. This program is suitable for a variety of medical or reproductive health clinic settings.

Get Real about AIDS. This program was developed by the Comprehensive Health Education Foundation for high school students. During the first half of this 14-session program, teens study transmission and prevention of HIV as well as determinants of risky behavior. In the second half, students learn and practice skills to help them identify, manage, and avoid risky situations. The program encourages teens to delay sexual intercourse. For those teens who choose to become sexually active, the program encourages teens to practice sexual monogamy and safer sexual behaviors. The program also encourages teens to avoid drugs and alcohol. The program is suitable for use in high school classrooms or community-based organizations.

Poder Latino: A Community AIDS Prevention Program for Inner-City Latino Youth. This program was developed by the New England Research Institutes and the Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation as a multifaceted community-based intervention for Latino youth 14 to 20 years of age. One goal of the program is to increase awareness of the disease through public service announcements in target neighborhoods. The program also aims to reduce infection by encouraging sexually active teens to use condoms. Ongoing activities conducted by trained peer leaders include workshops in schools and community organizations, group discussions in teens’ homes, presentations at large community centers, and door-to-door canvassing. Condoms are available at all activities. Program materials were originally designed for a Latino community but are adaptable for different populations. A wide range of community-based organizations and schools can be involved.

Rikers Health Advocacy Program (RHAP). This program was developed for incarcerated, male, adolescent drug users between 16 and 18 years of age. The program consists of four one-hour, small-group sessions focusing on general health, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, sexual behavior, AIDS-risk behaviors, and strategies for seeking health and social services. Participants are given the opportunities to define high-risk attitudes and behaviors, suggest alternative actions, and engage in role play and rehearsal activities. This program is appropriate for school- or community-based programs serving high-risk teens, especially drug users and incarcerated youth.

Safer Sex Efficacy Workshop. This three-hour workshop was designed to increase college students’ belief in their ability to act successfully to prevent HIV/AIDS and other STDs. The program is led by peer educators who facilitate group discussion about HIV/AIDS and STDs including transmission and prevention. Students then discuss personal experiences and feelings about AIDS and other STDs. Finally, students role play safer-sex discussions and learn about correct condom use. This program is suitable for use with young adults 18 to 22 years of age in educational settings or community-based organizations.

Youth AIDS Prevention Project (YAPP). This program was designed for high-risk youth including African-Americans. The program aims to prevent STDs, including HIV, and substance abuse among junior high school students. The intervention includes ten classroom sessions for seventh grade students and a five-part “booster session” offered one year later. Classes cover transmission and prevention of HIV and other STDs, the importance of using condoms for those who choose to have sexual intercourse, and the development of decision-making and negotiation skills. Students participate in small group exercises and role plays. This program is most suitable for seventh and eighth grade classrooms but could be used in community-based organizations serving teens 12 and 14 years of age.

Youth and AIDS Project’s HIV Prevention Program. This program was designed to provide education, peer counseling, and case management to gay and bisexual male adolescents between 13 and 21 years of age. The program begins with a two-hour interview designed to provide an individualized HIV/AIDS risk assessment as well as risk reduction counseling. Participants then take part in a 90-minute interactive peer education program which provides factual information. Optional peer support groups meet weekly. Finally, participants attend a one-hour follow up visit for reassessment and referrals, as needed, to medical and social services. This program can be implemented by a variety of clinics and community-based organizations serving gay and bisexual teens.

The Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (ReCAPP)
ReCAPP is a project of Educational, Training, and Research Associates (ETR) designed to serve as a bridge between educators and researchers interested in how educational and youth development programs can make an impact on the teen pregnancy rate. ReCAPP’s Web site contains information on all aspects of adolescent pregnancy prevention. The Facts section provides information on identifying risks and protective factors for teen pregnancy. The Effective Practices section includes information on new approaches to pregnancy prevention, skills for effective educators, the 10 characteristics of effective pregnancy-prevention programs, and skills youth need to learn to act in a sexually responsible way. The Current Research section contains abstracts and summaries of new papers. The Web site also provides a searchable Resource Database and a Resource Directory which contain information on organizations as well as publishers and distributors of material and resources related to teen pregnancy prevention.

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies - (CAPS)
CAPS is part of the University of California at San Francisco’s AIDS Research Institute, an enterprise that encompasses all UCSF AIDS programs. CAPS is committed to maintaining a focus on HIV prevention through multiple disciplines and both an applied and a community-based perspective. CAPS has identified several model HIV-prevention programs.

Healthy Oakland Teens (HOT). The goal of this project is to reduce adolescents' risk for HIV infection by using peer role models to advocate for responsible decision making, healthy values and norms, and improved communication skills. A complete HOT curricula including lectures, posters, games, and homework assignments is available.

The African-American Men's Health Study (AAMHS). This study represents the first published attempt to develop and evaluate the impact of a culturally appropriate, community-based, HIV risk-reduction intervention designed to change high-risk sexual behaviors among African-American homosexual and bisexual men. The study was conducted in the San Francisco Bay area. A complete AAMHS curriculum is available.

The Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Efficacy Study. This study was a randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of HIV counseling and testing for the prevention of new HIV infections in developing countries. The study was conducted at three sites: Nairobi, Kenya; Dar-Es- Salaam, Tanzania; and Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. A complete curriculum including counselor and interviewer training manuals, intervention manual, and baseline and follow up surveys is available.

The UFO Project. This project measures the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV in injection drug users under the age of 30 in San Francisco. This harm-reduction project includes follow-up, tracking, community-based outreach, and peer counseling.

Project Access. This project is a qualitative needs-assessment designed to examine counseling and testing utilization and prevention programs through the perspective of drug-using clients in three Bay area (California) counties: Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo.

MPowerment Project. The goal of this intervention is to create a process by which young gay men communicate with each other and encourage each other to practice “safer sex” in an effort for safer sexual practices to become an accepted norm.

The Young Asian Men's Study (YAMS). This research project is designed to evaluate the effects of a community-level intervention aimed at promoting safer sexual behavior among young Asian and Pacific Islander, men 15-25 years of age who have sex with other men.

The California Partners Study II. This study is one of the few that is targeted at heterosexual couples. It is designed to help understand how people in relationships make decisions about risk, how they decide to make changes, and how professionals in the field can best help them through the process.

HIV-Prevention Education at San Quentin State Prison. Centerforce has provided HIV-prevention education to inmates at San Quentin State Prison for over 10 years. These programs include education by HIV-positive inmate peer educators, support for newly diagnosed HIV-positive inmates, pre-release educational sessions, and a program for women visitors.

The Statewide Community HIV Evaluation Project (SCHEP). This program was formulated in 1995 by the California Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS and CAPS to foster collaboration between researchers and AIDS service providers. In doing so, innovative AIDS-prevention strategies were tested and evaluated for effectiveness. This Web page explains the success of four programs from Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, and Stockton, as well as lessons learned from the collaboration.

“Hermanos de Luna y Sol”. This program was designed as a culturally-appropriate HIV risk-reduction intervention targeting immigrant, Spanish-speaking gay/bisexual men in the San Francisco, CA, Mission District. Many materials including surveys, newsletters, and diaries are available in Spanish.

HIV Prevention-Initiative. This program, developed by CAPS and Northern California Grantmakers AIDS Task Force, is a series of collaborations between service providers, funders, and academics that seeks to pilot new HIV-prevention programs, evaluate their success, and disseminate the results so that effective programs can be replicated, and ineffective programs can be modified.

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