College women are at more risk in terms of sexual behavior than male students. This study was carried out to determine the effect of the transtheoretical model-based Healthy Youth Program on college women's sexual health knowledge and behaviors. The sample of the study, which was conducted with a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental…

Due to limited knowledge and exposure to sexual health information, refugee adolescent girls need health education programming and research studies that oftentimes require parental consent. We sought to understand the parental consent decision-making process of thirteen refugee parents from eight different countries who consented for their…

Research suggests body image is related to sexual behaviors, which can impact sexual health across the lifespan. This paper aims to explain the necessity for including body image content in sexuality education to improve outcomes among girls. Our recommendations, supported by theory and empirical research include (a) an assessment of existing…

Sexual self-efficacy, an individual's confidence in the domain of sexual health behaviors, was studied among an ethnically diverse sample of 128 sexually active adolescent women between the ages of 14 and 18 years. A hypothesized interaction between women's belief that condoms interfere with sexual pleasure and her perception of a partner's belief…

Sexual communication skills are needed to create healthy romantic relationships. Arguably, these skills also can be used to prevent some instances of unwanted sex. This study presents a qualitative analysis of adolescents' comments after reading a teen-friendly article on sexual consent as part of a web-based sexual health promotion intervention.…

First-year undergraduate students in the United Kingdom undergo significant change in their lives as they embark upon their university experience. They may be exposed to various social and psychological factors that increase their risk of poor sexual health. Indeed, epidemiological data suggest that young people (including students) face sexual…

This lesson plan is designed to help participants learn how to partner with their healthcare providers to improve their sexual health. This lesson plan describes how to achieve this goal with cis-gender Black adolescent girls and adult women (ages 16 and older).

Black gay/bisexual male youth are one of the groups most affected by HIV in the United States, but few behavioral interventions have been created specifically to address this health inequity. Oppression related to these youths' multiple social identities--including racism, heterosexism, and HIV stigma--contribute to increased health risks. Primary…

First sex marks a significant transition for most adolescents, yet teens often report that it was unplanned. Seventy-four college students participated in exploratory focus groups about their first sex. Although initially asked whether their first sex was spontaneous or planned, many participants revealed evidence of forethought or anticipation,…

Theater-based approaches have been implemented globally as a health education and behavior change strategy for decades. Studies have shown that live theater performances can engage an audience and influence the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of audience members. Moreover, literature has shown that adolescents find theater-based interventions…

This study evaluated The Grassroot Project, a middle school sexual health promotion program in Washington, DC that uses university-level athlete role models and sports-based games. Seven schools were allocated to immediate (n = 160) or delayed intervention (n = 166). Students were tested before and immediately after the intervention on attitudes…

Despite recognition of the importance of a developmentally appropriate approach to sexuality education, there is little direct guidance on how to do this. This study employed in-depth interviews with experienced sexuality educators and developers of sexuality education materials to identify how this concept is understood and applied in the field.…

Teens' own thoughts on fostering safe sexual practice are important perspectives in promoting adolescent sexual health yet are relatively absent in the literature. This focus group study explored teens' perceptions about the supports and challenges that exist as teens strive to engage in healthy sexual practices. Seventy-five teens participated in…

We present an organizational capacity building program that is a systemic approach to training professionals, creating organizational policies and practices, and enhancing the physical environment with materials about sexual and reproductive health. The evaluation of four different organizations showed increases over six months in: staff reports…

This study explores how positive media messages about sex can lead to better sexual health among young adults (college students at a large university, N = 228) by de-emphasizing sensation seeking, condom embarrassment, and stigma. Employing social learning theory and normative influence frameworks, the research found that college-age women had…