Study Details
Shrier, L. A., Ancheta, R., Goodman, E., Chiou, V. M., Lyden, M. R., Emans, S. J. (2001). Randomized controlled trial of a safer sex intervention for high-risk adolescent girls. Archives of Pediatrics Adolescent Medicine, 155(1), 73-79.
Safer Sex Intervention (SSI)
Program Information
Evaluation Setting
Study Sample
Research Design
123
4
12
Study Findings
The program's evidence of effectiveness was first established in a randomized controlled trial involving young women recruitment from the adolescent health clinic of an urban children's hospital. The sample was limited to women younger than 24 who were seeking treatment for cervicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease. Study participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the intervention or a control group that received the usual clinic services. Surveys were administered immediately before the program started (baseline) and again one, three, six, and 12 months after study enrollment.
The study found that six months after the intervention ended, adolescents in the intervention group were significantly less likely to report having had another sexual partner (in addition to their main partner) in the previous six months. The study found no statistically significant program impacts on having another sexual partner or on condom use at their last sexual encounter at the time of the one-month follow-up survey.
Findings from the 3-month and 12-month follow-ups were not considered for the review because they did not meet the review evidence standards. Specifically, both the 3- and 12-month follow-ups had a high rate of sample attrition, and the study did not establish baseline equivalence for the remaining sample members.
The study also examined program impacts on four measures of condom use (frequency and consistency of use with main partner, and frequency and consistency of use with another partner, in the past six months). Findings for these outcomes were not considered for the review because they did not meet the review evidence standards. Specifically, findings were reported only for subgroups defined by sexual activity at follow-up.
NA = Not available. This means the authors did not report the information in the manuscripts associated with the studies we reviewed.
a This information was not available whenever authors did not report information for the treatment and comparison groups separately on outcome means, standard deviations, and/or sample sizes.
b Authors reported that the program effect (impact) estimate is statistically significant with a p-value of less than 0.05 based on a two-tailed test.
c For some outcomes, having less of that outcome is favorable. In those cases, an effect with a negative sign is favorable to the treatment group (that is, the treatment group had a more favorable outcome than the comparison group, on average).
d An effect shows credibly estimated, statistically significant evidence whenever it has a p-value of less than 0.05 based on a two-tailed test, includes the appropriate adjustment for clustering (if applicable), and it is not based on an endogenous subgroup.