Prevention of HIV/AIDS, other STIs and Pregnancy: Group-Based Interventions for Adolescents

Research Gaps

What are Research Gaps?

Prior to and during the literature review and data analysis, the review team and the Community Preventive Services Task Force attempt to address the key questions of what interventions work, for whom, under what conditions, and at what cost. Lack of sufficient information often leaves one or more of these questions unanswered. The Community Guide refers to these as "research gaps." Research gaps can be pulled together as a narrative or in the form of a basic set of questions to inform a research agenda for those in the field.

Identified Research Gaps

• Additional research is needed to clarify the intervention characteristics that maximize the effectiveness of group-based abstinence education and comprehensive risk reduction  programs.
• Common measures of sexual behavior and standard intervals for follow-up assessments of these outcomes would allow for more comparability across studies and lead to a better determination of the overall public health impact of these interventions.
• There is need for future research to examine how cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness estimates vary depending on age, gender, and risk status of participants.