Efficacy of an Abstinence-Only HIV Risk-Reduction Intervention for Young African-American Adolescents

Participants will attend two sessions consisting of eight 1-hour modules that are designed to increase knowledge, motivation, and skill for practicing abstinence. The intervention is not an abstinence-until-marriage intervention; the target behavior is abstaining from sexual activity until later in life when the adolescent is more prepared to handle the consequences. The intervention does not contain inaccurate information, portray sex in a negative light, or employ a moralistic tone. It is not designed to affect condom use.

Participants will attend two sessions consisting of eight 1-hour modules that are designed to increase knowledge, motivation, and skill for using condoms during sexual intercourse. The intervention is not designed to influence abstinence.

Participants will attend three sessions consisting of twelve 1-hour modules that are designed to increase knowledge, motivation, and skill for practicing abstinence and for using condoms if participants decide to be sexually active. The intervention consists of the safer-sex-specific content (4 hours), the abstinence-specific content (4 hours), and the general content that is common to both of the single-component interventions (4 hours).

Participants will attend two sessions consisting of eight 1-hour modules that are designed to increase knowledge, motivation, and skill for practicing abstinence and for using condoms if participants decide to be sexually active.

"Participants will attend two sessions consisting of eight 1-hour modules that are designed to increase knowledge, motivation, and skill for avoiding cigarette smoking and for incorporating a healthful diet, aerobic exercise, and breast and testicular self-examinations. The control intervention will focus on reducing risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers. The intervention provides a control for Hawthorne effects to reduce the likelihood that the HIV/STD interventions' effects can be attributed to group interaction and special attention."