E
Edwin1961
Guest
ABSTINENCE PROGRAM RESULTS IN LESS TEEN SEX, FEWER PARTNERS
Date: 8/31/05
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(Cleveland, Ohio) A peer-reviewed evaluation, published in the American Journal of Health Behavior™, documents the effectiveness of a Cleveland, Ohio abstinence until marriage program on 2,069 middle school students. The study shows Operation Keepsake, Inc.’s, popular FOR KEEPS™ curriculum successful in reaching both sexually experienced and inexperienced students. The independent research conducted by Dr. Elaine Borawski, head of Case Western Reserve University’s Center for Health Promotion Research, demonstrates that program students showed a significant increase in their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, a significant increase in their beliefs in being abstinent until marriage or older and a decline in intentions to have sex in the near future. While the study showed no effect on reducing sexual initiation rates, an encouraging outcome reports that sexually active teens receiving this program reported fewer episodes of sexual intercourse and fewer sexual partners.
Reacting to the study findings, Mary Anne Mosack, Executive Director of Operation Keepsake, stated, “ You have to start somewhere in reaching teens who are inundated with a sex-saturated culture. The Operation Keepsake program has been shown effective in reducing the episodes of sex and in reducing the number of partners among sexually active teens. This is a positive behavioral change; they are hearing the message.”
The fear that students in abstinence programs are less likely to use condoms was also negated by this study. Although sexually inexperienced students reported decreased intentions to use condoms, the actual use of condoms by those who did engage in sex was no different than the control group in the findings.
Commenting on the value of evaluation, Mosack added, “We are committed to rigorous evaluation. Behavior change does not come easy. But raising awareness of disease transmission and increasing norms favorable to abstinence along with reducing risky behavior underscores the important need for strong abstinence education efforts in America.”
Date: 8/31/05
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(Cleveland, Ohio) A peer-reviewed evaluation, published in the American Journal of Health Behavior™, documents the effectiveness of a Cleveland, Ohio abstinence until marriage program on 2,069 middle school students. The study shows Operation Keepsake, Inc.’s, popular FOR KEEPS™ curriculum successful in reaching both sexually experienced and inexperienced students. The independent research conducted by Dr. Elaine Borawski, head of Case Western Reserve University’s Center for Health Promotion Research, demonstrates that program students showed a significant increase in their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, a significant increase in their beliefs in being abstinent until marriage or older and a decline in intentions to have sex in the near future. While the study showed no effect on reducing sexual initiation rates, an encouraging outcome reports that sexually active teens receiving this program reported fewer episodes of sexual intercourse and fewer sexual partners.
Reacting to the study findings, Mary Anne Mosack, Executive Director of Operation Keepsake, stated, “ You have to start somewhere in reaching teens who are inundated with a sex-saturated culture. The Operation Keepsake program has been shown effective in reducing the episodes of sex and in reducing the number of partners among sexually active teens. This is a positive behavioral change; they are hearing the message.”
The fear that students in abstinence programs are less likely to use condoms was also negated by this study. Although sexually inexperienced students reported decreased intentions to use condoms, the actual use of condoms by those who did engage in sex was no different than the control group in the findings.
Commenting on the value of evaluation, Mosack added, “We are committed to rigorous evaluation. Behavior change does not come easy. But raising awareness of disease transmission and increasing norms favorable to abstinence along with reducing risky behavior underscores the important need for strong abstinence education efforts in America.”