Abstinence Education Program Successfully Delays Sexual Debut

Early sexual involvement can lead to serious consequences in adolescents such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. According to the CDC, African American adolescents are a highly vulnerable population, representing only 17% of 13-19 year olds in the US but accounting for 72% of the HIV/AIDS cases in this age group in 2007.¹ Understanding the severity of the problem, Drs. John and Loretta Jemmott designed a study to evaluate several different sexual health educational interventions with the primary objective of delaying sexual initiation in young adolescents.² The randomized controlled trial included four different educational interventions: an 8-hour abstinence-only intervention, emphasizing risk avoidance; an 8-hour safer sex-only intervention, emphasizing condom use for reducing the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and two comprehensive interventions, one 8-hour and one 12-hour, emphasizing both abstinence and condom use. Additionally, the researchers included an 8-hour health-promotion class that emphasized health issues unrelated to sexual behavior to serve as a control.

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