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The ASSESS program provides tools to enhance risk-reduction communication between health care providers and teens
while in a physician's office or clinic setting. A randomized controlled behavioral intervention trial of the program
was conducted in the metropolitan Washington, DC area between 1995 and 1997. The trial involved 19 physicians at five
primary care pediatric practices, and 215 teens who were randomly assigned to intervention (n=205) or control group
(n=114) conditions. Control group teens received their usual health care examination. Intervention group teens
listened to an audiotape and answered 11 risk-related questions. The physician used answer sheets, pamphlets, an
icebreaker activity and role-playing strategies to encourage risk behavior discussion and practice risk refusal
strategies. Participants were interviewed post-checkup to determine how many sexual health topics they had discussed
with their provider. Telephone follow-up interviews were conducted at three months and nine months. Study findings
showed that more intervention teens reported discussing sexual topics with their physicians than did control group
teens. At three-month follow-up, more sexually active intervention group teens reported condom use than control group
teens. While more vaginal intercourse was also reported in the intervention group than the control group, this was
not true of overall sexual intercourse. At nine months, there were no group differences in sexual behavior; however,
more signs of STDs were reported by the control than the intervention group.
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