Reports on interviews of 48 sexually active adolescents concerning the possible secondary consequences of taking measures to reduce the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Adolescents generated 134 consequences, suggesting that considering all the relevant consequences for a rational decision about STD prevention is not…

The study discussed in this article addressed the relationship of social support to the maintenance of long-term safer sex practices of 360 HIV-positive adults recruited from outpatient medical facilities. Medical professionals, friends, and siblings were reported the most frequent sources for assistance, whereas regular sexual partners, medical…

During the 1980s and into the '90s, HIV and AIDS primarily affected gay White men. The rates of HIV/AIDS stabilized in the 1990s in the United States, but today the numbers are soaring again. This time around, victims are more likely to be Black and heterosexual. Dr. Adaora Adimora, an HIV/AIDS researcher and associate professor of medicine at the…

Teens typically fail to use contraceptives consistently, which contributes to high rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among this age group. Existing research has focused primarily on how teens' own characteristics are related to contraceptive use, but has paid less attention to how the characteristics of…

Outcomes from sex education are shaped not only by the knowledge and attitudes of youth but also by groups influential in young people's lives. American youth bear one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the industrialized world. Four constituencies with important roles in communicating about STIs are youth, parents,…

Objective: The authors used a stratified cluster sampling design to inform campus sexually transmitted diseases prevention programs. Participants and Methods: They conducted a cross-sectional study of students (N = 1,130) at a large, urban, minority-serving university in South Florida using the 2004 National College Health Assessment Survey…

Advances in HIV/AIDS treatment have dramatically changed the nature of HIV/AIDS education and prevention, creating new opportunities and challenges. This activity is designed to help participants reflect on the impact that HIV treatment can have on a person's life. It also enables trainers to engage participants in a dialogue about the impact of…

Ecodevelopmental theory is a theoretical framework used to explain the interplay among risk and protective processes associated with HIV risk behaviors among adolescents. Although ecodevelopmentally based interventions have been found to be efficacious in preventing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic youth, this theory has not yet been directly…

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have a disproportionate and more devastating impact on women than men; adolescent women are at the greatest risk for acquiring STDs. However, promoting consistent condom use among female adolescents involves dealing with complex socio-cultural factors, including deep ambivalence regarding sexuality in general,…

This report on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) offers information on: (1) the medical definition of AIDS; (2) signs and symptoms; (3) the present situtation regarding the number of cases of AIDS and how the disease is transmitted; (4) how to protect oneself from AIDS; (5) what behavior is safe; and (6) what is currently understood about…

This study examined HIV knowledge, perceived risk and sexual behavior of 370 undergraduate students in selected universities in southern Nigeria. MANOVA confirmed females to have significantly higher overall HIV knowledge than males ([p.bar] = .03). In addition, more females than males reported significantly higher knowledge on the risk of HIV…

This paper considers the common criteria by which school-based sex and relationship programmes are evaluated, and argues that the domination of public health outcomes serves to make invisible other aspects of courses that warrant attention. In particular, the role of pleasure in sexual development and relations is normally not acknowledged. While…

This paper examines the socio-cognitive processes underlying intentions to use condoms and contraceptive pills, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour extended with prototypes in a group of young Norwegian adolescents. The data are derived from a questionnaire survey comprising all pupils in Grade Nine at three schools in Oslo (n = 196). Using…

In the United States, nearly two-thirds of all deaths among young people aged 10-14 years result from only five causes: motor-vehicle crashes (23.4%), other unintentional injuries (15.7%), cancer (12.5%), suicide (7.2%), and homicide (5.2%). Across all age groups in the United States, the leading causes of illness and death are related to the…

This article examines the widespread resistance to condom use in sub-Saharan Africa by describing the major semiotic axes that organize how people talk about condoms and condom use. These axes include the "sweetness" of sex, trust and love between sexual partners, and assessments of risk and danger. Using data from rural Malawi, we show…