Young adults' evaluation of a self-administered intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors
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Date
2009-06
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
According to the Center for Disease Control and Statistics, 50% of the 19 million newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) each year are found in individuals aged 15-24 years, and the rates are proportionally higher for women than men. Analyses of high-risk sexual behaviors reveal a high prevalence of risky sexual encounters occurring among young adult women. Contracting STIs can negatively impact a woman’s biological, psychological, emotional, and/or sexual health, and these adverse sequelae can have long-term consequences. The most effective interventions rely on a practitioner to deliver the messages. Since, most practitioners do not discuss sexual issues with clients, a theoretically and evidence-based intervention that is self-administered is needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants’ perceptions of a self-administered intervention to reduce risky sexual behaviors called the Sexual Awareness Kit (SAK). A descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed to address the research problem. Twenty participants (ages 18-35 years) were enrolled in the study through convenience sampling. After demonstrating the intervention, participants were asked to work through the intervention on their own and respond to a questionnaire ascertaining their perceptions of the intervention and desire for additional sexual health information to be included in the intervention. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the data. Developing user-friendly and effective sexual risk reduction interventions is important for the health of young adult women. The data gleaned from this research will be utilized to further develop the intervention and prepare it for clinical trial and use.
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sexual risk behaviors