Safer Sex Intervention
Investigators: Lydia A. Shrier, MD, MPH, Rose Ancheta, MPH, Elizabeth Goodman, MD, Victoria Chiou, BA, Michelle R. Lyden, RN, PNP, & S. Jean Emans, MD

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that over 50% (and in some years, as high as two thirds) of the population who contract an STI are under the age of 25, and disproportionately, are adolescent girls. Adolescent girls with an STI infection are at risk for recurrence and more long-term reproductive health issues such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility.

Safer Sex Intervention (SSI) is an individualized STI intervention program aimed at sexually active young women, ages 13-23, who have been diagnosed with an STI. The overall goals are to reduce high-risk sexual behaviors, increase condom use and prevent the recurrence of an STI among sexually active young women. The program is appropriate for use in clinics or community based organizations led by a female health educator. This individualized intervention was designed to be delivered at the time of STI diagnosis/treatment, when the participant was most likely to be contemplating her diagnosis relative to her sexual risk behaviors. The intervention is administered 1-on-1 and face-to-face using one of two discrete 30- to 50-minute sessions.

Safer Sex Intervention (SSI) was evaluated with an opportunistic study design (at time of STI treatment) that included baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 12 month follow up. Subjects were female, under 24 years of age, with a diagnosis and treatment plan for either cervicitis or PID. At 1 month, the intervention condition subjects had increased sexual risk knowledge (P=.02), more positive attitudes towards condom use (P=.007). At 6 months, intervention subjects report fewer instances of sexual intercourse with non-main partners than the standard-of-care condition. In other words, they were more likely to report lower sexual risk (sex with a non-main partner) as compared to the standard-of-care (control) condition (P=.01). Consistent with findings at 1 month, the intervention condition had a continued increase in positive attitudes regarding condoms (P=.007). One year after SSI, the girls who received the program were more likely to have a main sexual partner and thus, decreased their risk (P=.07) and were also less likely to have recurrence of an STI than the control group (but this was not significant; P=.17). View more detailed information on this program.


Materials in this program package are licensed for use in one implementation site. All materials are copyrighted and may not be copied or distributed. If you would like to order additional materials or program packages, please contact: Laurie Rose, Director of Customer Support, Email: lrose@socio.com Tel: 650-383-6253.