Prevention of HIV/AIDS, other STIs and Pregnancy: Group-based Abstinence Education Interventions for Adolescents
Abstinence Education (AE) promotes abstinence from sexual activity (either delayed initiation or abstinence until marriage) and mentions condoms or other birth control methods only to highlight their failure rates if at all. These interventions usually include messages about the psychological and health benefits of abstinence, and most adhere to eight federal guidelines required to obtain federal funding (the Federal A-H guidelines).
This review evaluated AE interventions delivered in school or community settings to groups of adolescents (10–19 years old). These interventions could also include other components, such as media campaigns and community service events.
Task Force Recommendations & Findings
The Task Force on Community Preventive Services finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of group-based abstinence education delivered to adolescents to prevent pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Evidence was considered insufficient because of inconsistent results across studies.
Task Force findings and rationale statement
The Task Force finding presented on this page was made in June 2009. It was based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice and policy related to vaccine-preventable diseases. Please subscribe to be notified as new materials on this topic become available.
Supporting Materials
Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions on this page are those of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services and do not necessarily represent those of CDC.
Sample Citation
The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Prevention of HIV/AIDS, other STIs and Pregnancy: Group-based abstinence education interventions for adolescents. www.thecommunityguide.org/hiv/abstinence_ed.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.
Review completed: June 2009
- Page last reviewed: March 9, 2010
- Page last updated: August 6, 2010
- Content source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services
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