Abstinence Program Curbs Teen Sex

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Teen pregnancies are on the rise, and researchers say abstinence-only programs may help curb sexual involvement among young teens as well as the problem of sexually transmitted infections.

A new trial suggests a theory-based intervention program focusing on abstinence alone lowers sexual encounters among African American teens.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a randomized trial that included a total of 662 African American students. The students were randomly assigned to either participate in an abstinence-only intervention, a safer sex-only intervention focusing on increased condom use, a sexual intercourse and condom intervention, or a health-promotion intervention not related to sexual behavior.

The probability of ever having sex among those in the abstinence-only group was 33.5 percent, while it was 48.5 percent among the health-promotion group. Fewer students in the abstinence-only group reported having sex in the previous three months than those in the control group during the study's follow-up.

“Using theory-based abstinence-only interventions selectively might contribute to the overall goal of curbing the spread of STIs in both the United States and other countries," study authors wrote.

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, February 2010

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