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Although there are now several adolescent HIV and STD preventive interventions of demonstrated efficacy in the literature, little is understood about the portability of these interventions. This study replicated Stanton's Focus on Kids intervention, developed for inner city African American adolescents, in a different population, transferring it to a multicultural city. Despite careful replication of the original study's procedures, youth in the preventive intervention condition of the replication study did not improve in attitudes, perceived norms, self-efficacy, or intentions toward sexual initiation, condom use, or abstinence compared with a carefully matched control condition. We discuss several possible reasons for this failure to replicate, concluding that the most likely reason is the lower rates of sexual activity among youth in the replication city.

Sexual health research often relies on single risk indicators. However multi-variable composites may better capture the underlying construct of risk-taking. Latent Profile Analysis identified subgroups based on condom use consistency, partner numbers, and sex frequency among 605 adolescents. Three profiles were identified for each of grades 8 to 10 (Condom Users, Few Partners, and Risk-Takers) and 4 in grades 11 and 12 (Condom Users, One Partner Two Partners, and Risk-Takers). Inconsistent condom use groups reported more non-condom (and often less effective) birth control use and STD and pregnancy histories. Females had greater representation in the Few Partners, One Partners, and Two Partners groups, which also contained increasing proportions of participants in each subsequent year. Males had greater representation in the Risk-Takers group. A profile approach to measurement has methodological advantages, can add to substantive knowledge, and can inform content, timing, and targets of sexual health interventions.

Purpose: To better understand the factors teens consider when making decisions regarding sex and condom use., Methods: Twenty-one same-sex focus groups were conducted with a total of 92 male and female teens from a range of high school programs; schools were selected based on the range of programs and diversity of students enrolled. Focus group moderators facilitated groups using a set of open-ended key questions about sexual decision-making and HIV/AIDS for each group; discussion on a specific topic area continued until no new information was generated. Group discussions were tape-recorded and transcribed, and themes were identified through independent content analysis of the transcriptions and assistant moderator notes., Results: Although teens acquire HIV/AIDS knowledge in school and are aware of positive and negative outcomes of engaging in sexual behavior, many times the information does not seem salient or personally relevant and thus is not used in making decisions related to having sex. In general, results indicate that boys and girls seem to have different ideas/reasons for having or not having sex. Boys relate to the physical nature of sex, whereas girls relate to the emotional aspects. Teens report being bored with AIDS education, but suggest needing information that is more relevant for them., Conclusions: Attempts should be made to make HIV education more relevant for teens so that they use the information they have when making decisions about safer sexual behavior. Different approaches may be needed for boys and girls.

Researchers examined individual characteristics and peer influences related to adolescents' sexual behavior, taking gender and sexual experience into account. As part of a larger, longitudinal study investigating youth health awareness, 8th, 9th, and 10th graders reported their intentions to engage in sexual activity and use condoms in the next year, the amount of pressure they felt to engage in sexual activity, and their perceptions about the number of their peers engaging in sexual activity. Findings suggest intentions to engage in sexual behavior and use condoms, feelings of pressure to have sex, and perceptions about the number of friends engaging in sexual intercourse differ by gender and sexual experience status. Implications of these findings for health and sexuality education, as well as HIV prevention programs targeted at adolescents, are discussed. (J Sch Health. 2001;71(4):153-158), The prevalence of sexual activity, pregnancy, and STDs among US adolescents has caused some alarm. Researchers have described outcomes associated with adolescent sexual behavior in terms varying from 'a public [...]