Preventing HIV/AIDS, other STIs and Pregnancy: Youth Development Behavioral Interventions

Search Strategy

To establish the evidence base the team searched eleven computerized databases from 1980 through 2008: CINAHL; MEDLINE; PsycINFO; PubMed (PubMed includes a bit more than just MEDLINE); Sociological Abstracts; Web of Science – Science Citation Index; Web of Science – Social Science Citation Index; ERIC (education literature); POPLINE (reproductive literature from Johns Hopkins); NTIS (National Technical Information Service) – source for locating US, Federal publications (including agency reports); GPO (Government Printing Office) – source for locating US, Federal publications (including agencies reports). Medical subject headings (MeSH) searched (including all subheadings) are shown below. The team also scanned bibliographies from key articles and solicited other citations from other team members and subject-matter experts. Conference abstracts were not included because, according to Community Guide criteria, they generally do not provide enough information to assess study validity and to address the research questions.

The search identified over 5000 citations whose titles and abstracts were screened for potential relevance to interventions and outcomes of interest; of these, 64 articles were retrieved for full-text review.

Search terms: used in eleven electronic databases to find studies for inclusion in the systematic reviews of youth development behavioral interventions coordinated with pro-social activities.

Population Groups (Adolescents): adolescent; adolescent health services; adolescent behavior; adolescent; adolescents; adolescence; teen; teens; teenager; teenagers; youth; young; student; students; school; college; undergraduate

Type of Study/Intervention/Program: primary prevention; program evaluation; impact studies; impact study; social change; empirical research; outcome assessment; outcome studies; outcome study; follow-up studies; intervention; education; preventive; prevention; preventing; evaluation; evaluating; promotion; program; outcome; outcomes; initiative; design; life options; youth community service; service learning; life skills; social development; youth development; youth adult partnerships; skill building

Outcomes: sexual behavior; risk-taking; risk reduction behavior; contraception behavior; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; HIV infections; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; pregnancy in adolescence; sexual abstinence; (postpone or postponing or delay or delaying) and (sex or sexual or sexuality or intercourse); sexual activity; sexual acts; protected sex; sexual involvement; repeated childbearing; repeat pregnancies; parenting; cohabitation; mothers; fertility control