Safer Sex Practices More Likely Following Mass Media Campaigns

Two University of Kentucky researchers from the department of communication in the UK College of Communications and Information Studies have learned that targeted mass media campaigns alone can be effective in convincing high sensation-seeking, impulsive decision-making young adults to adopt safer sex practices.

Past public health campaigns, particularly those promoting healthy behaviors, were rarely successful unless associated with other interventions. But this study, which was funded from the National Institute of Mental Health, indicates that mass media campaigns can be successful alone, at least in the short-term.

“This study’s findings suggest what we have long suspected and what other smaller studies have found: that mass media campaigns crafted from sophisticated design principles can be effective in changing health behaviors, at least in the short-term, and that a reoccurring campaign presence may be necessary to sustain these safe behaviors,” said UK professor Rick Zimmerman, lead researcher of the study and a center director in Louisville, Ky. for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). Philip Palmgreen, professor of communication at UK, was the co-principal investigator on the study.

“The implications from this study are valuable for the public health community because it shows that when used properly, media alone can have significant, positive impacts on health-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors,” Palmgreen said.

The 21-month-long study assessed the impact of a televised public service announcement (PSA) campaign on changing safer sex beliefs and behaviors. Specifically, the study found that the campaign effectively increased condom use among high-risk young adults, on average, by 13 percent. Similar effects were found on intentions to use condoms in the future and in perceived ability to use condoms. Impact analysis suggests that the campaign may have resulted in 181,224 fewer occasions of unprotected sex among the targeted population than would have normally occurred without exposure to the PSAs.

The study compared the effects of the campaign that aired on television over a three-month period targeting high sensation-seeking, impulsive decision-making young adults in Lexington, Ky. with an identical group in Knoxville, Tenn., not exposed to a campaign. Both are moderate-sized cities with similar demographics.

“High sensation-seekers and impulsive decision-makers were surveyed for the study because of their proclivity for engaging in risky behaviors. The characteristics of high-sensation-value messages provide practitioners with useful guidelines for developing effective and persuasive health-related messages and placing them in appropriate channels,” said Zimmerman.

Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation is one of the nation’s preeminent independent, nonprofit organizations focusing on individual and social problems associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs. PIRE is dedicated to merging scientific knowledge and proven practice to create solutions that improve the health, safety, and well-being of individuals, communities, nations and the world. The institute has a significant national presence in the area of prevention, with funded research projects at its 10 research centers located around the country.

Source: Jenny Wells

University of Kentucky

Condom Maker Launches Nationwide Bus And Concert Tour During STI Awareness Month

Starting today in Atlanta, the Trojan Evolve tour will travel across the U.S. raising awareness regarding the poor state of sexual health in America and urging Americans to petition for change. The fact is, this is not a sexually healthy nation, and the Evolve tour is designed to address this head on by inspiring a positive sexual health movement and empowering Americans to change behaviors and opinions about carrying and using condoms.

With primetime network television restrictions on condom advertising still in effect, the multi-faceted grassroots effort, which includes a 40-foot long interactive bus and 40-foot wide IMAX-style rollercoaster ride, kicks off its nationwide tour in the hometown of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology.

Evolve Yourself, Involve Yourself

Both tours will crisscross America through November 2008 inviting people to evolve, by personally pledging to use a condom every time and advocating for comprehensive sexual education in schools by signing the Trojan Evolve Petition. Along the bus tour route, participants can also encourage friends to continue or change sexual health behaviors by recording video testimonials, which will be posted to the Trojan Evolve Web site, http://www.trojancondoms.com.

“Trojan Evolve is a call to action,” says Jim Daniels, Vice President of Marketing for Church & Dwight Co Inc. “We’re quite literally going city to city asking Americans to pledge to use a condom every time, sign a petition for change and help turn the tide on the unhealthy state of sexual health in this country.” All Americans will be able to follow the tour’s progress, and become a part of the movement by taking the personal pledge and signing the Trojan Evolve Petition virtually at the Trojan Web site, which also includes important links to third-party sexual health resources.

America Is Not a Sexually Healthy Nation

The Trojan Evolve Tour launches in the wake of newly released CDC statistics indicating that one in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted infection (STI)I, and syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia, continue to rise in the general public.II This is in addition to the 65 million Americans already living with an incurable STI.III
And for the first time in fourteen years, rates of unintended teenage pregnancy are growing, contributing to the over three million unplanned pregnancies occurring each year.IV Yet, only about one in four sex acts among singles involves a condom, resulting in over a billion acts of unprotected sex each year.V
“The Trojan Evolve tour is critical and timely,” said Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. surgeon general and current advisor to the maker of Trojan brand condoms. “The problem is clearly not due to a lack of resources. Ninety percent of American households want comprehensive sex education, yet the government has spent over a billion dollars on only abstinence education, which according to its own studies is ineffective.”

About Trojan

TROJAN® Brand Condoms are America’s #1 condom and have been trusted for nearly 90 years. TROJAN® brand latex condoms are made from premium quality latex. If used properly latex condoms will help to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV infection (AIDS) and many other sexually transmitted diseases. When used properly condoms are highly effective against pregnancy. Each condom is electronically tested to help ensure reliability. There are over 29 varieties of TROJAN® Brand Condoms. More Americans trust the TROJAN® brand than any other condom.

http://www.trojancondoms.com

References

I. “Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Bacterial Vaginosis among Female Adolescents in the United States: Data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004.” Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed here.

II. “Trends in Reportable Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States, 2006.” Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed here.

III. “Trends in Reportable Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States, 2006.”
IV. U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: National and State Trends and Trends by Ethnicity. The Guttmacher Institute, New York, September 2006. Available here. Finer LF, Henshaw SK.

V. Research Triangle Institute, 2002; data on file

TROJAN® Brand Condoms

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Report Updated, UK

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has published its updated 1997
Report of the Working Party on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C and sexually
transmitted diseases - a document which examines the place of pharmacists in the fight
against these illnesses1.

Ten years after the original report, the recommendations have been reviewed by members of
the RPSGB/National Treatment Agency (NTA) Substance Misuse Working Group. This
updated version, available on the RPSGB’s website, applies equally to pharmacists and
registered pharmacy technicians and contains additional recommendations relating to the role
of pharmacy staff in public health and the provision of sexual health services.

Sadia Khan, the RPSGB’s Lead Pharmacist for Self-Care, said:

“The recommendations in the 1997 report have been brought up-to-date and take into account
the responsibilities of both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Sexually transmitted
diseases are a major public health issue - the treatment and advice customers receive at their
community pharmacy plays an important role in the management of these conditions and the
quality of their lives.”

In addition to the updated report, the RPSGB/NTA Memorandum of Understanding is available
to download from the RPSGB’s website, http://www.rpsgb.org.

Notes

The original 1997 Report of the Working Party on the prevention of HIV / AIDS,
hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted diseases was published in The
Pharmaceutical Journal 2007: 258: 13-16 (January 4)

Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

‘Tragic Outcomes’ Of Teen Pregnancies Shows Abstinence-Only Programs ‘Not Working,’ Opinion Piece Says

The “tragic outcomes” of two recent pregnancies among Texas teenagers shows that abstinence-only sex education programs are “not working,” Peter Durkin, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, writes in a Houston Chronicle opinion piece. Durkin adds that the “most concern[ing]” questions regarding the incidents are whether the pregnant girls’ male partners were involved and how the situation can be prevented.

According to Durkin, the teen pregnancy rate in Texas has “remained relatively constant” during the past decade despite the more than $1.5 billion the federal government has spent on abstinence-only education in public schools. “Shouldn’t a billion dollars have an impact” on the teen pregnancy rate? Durkin asks, adding that the “fact is the programs aren’t making a difference in teens’ lives, and we continue to waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective programs.”

Teens across the U.S. are receiving “value-laden” sex education that “ignores both teen biology and the reality of today’s teen life and simply tells teens” just don’t have sex, according to Durkin. Adults “need to do something to help teens,” Durkin writes, adding that teens need “support and guidance on how to handle the tough situations they deal with everyday.” Adults can discuss abstinence with teens but “must also give them information to avoid risky situations” by “teaching them medically accurate sex education and giving them information about contraception and how to use it consistently and effectively, not just failure rates,” Durkin says.

Sex education should begin “at home with parents, should be supported by faith communities and should continue in schools,” Durkin writes, adding that parents should “demand that schools provide accurate information, not ideological instruction.” He concludes that it is “time we start dealing with the real world instead of our ideal world and try our best to prevent” negative outcomes to teen pregnancies “from happening again” (Durkin, Houston Chronicle, 4/7).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2007 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Nigerian State Bans Promotion, Distribution Of Contraceptives, Including Condoms

The Nigerian state of Anambra recently banned the promotion and distribution of what it calls “unnatural” contraceptives, including condoms, IRIN News reports. “Instead of teaching children how to use condoms and enjoy sex, they should be taught total abstinence,” Amobi Ilika, the state commissioner for health, said when announcing the ban late last month. He added that the “use of condoms has greatly encouraged immorality.”

Some HIV/AIDS and family planning advocates have expressed concerns about the ban, according to IRIN. “I don’t think it’s the right step,” public affairs analyst Alphonsus Ofodile said, adding, “Even if you ban the use of condoms, people will still have sex. So why would a responsible government want to discourage safe sex?” Condoms are available throughout other parts of Nigeria in part because the government has partnered with health organizations to implement programs to distribute and sell them. In addition, several religious groups in the country have expressed support for condom use. According to IRIN, the ban in Anambra might have been “designed to appeal to local evangelical groups.” Ofodile said that Anambra has a history of political instability and violence, adding that the ban is a “desperate attempt to uphold morals” (IRIN News, 4/7).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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