Methods for the prevention of STIs reviewed

News release from NETSCC, HTA

23 February 2010

School-based behavioural interventions which provide information and teach young people sexual health negotiation skills can bring about improvements in knowledge and increased self-efficiency in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), suggests new research published by the NIHR HTA programme. The effects of the interventions reviewed on sexual risk behaviour were, however, uncertain.

The prevention of STIs and teenage pregnancy is a high priority for health policy due to the adverse impact on both individuals and health service resources. Previous research shows that young people, particularly young women in their mid to late teens, are more likely to become infected due to personal, social and economical circumstances.

Researchers led by Dr Jonathan Shepherd of the Southampton Health Technology Assessments Centre (SHTAC) and in collaboration with the EPPI-Centre, Institute of Education, London, carried out a systematic review and economic evaluation to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of behavioural interventions for the prevention of STIs in young people.

The research was based on a two-stage process. The first stage identified the key characteristics of previous studies that had evaluated behavioural interventions for the prevention of STIs in young people. The second stage involved a systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these interventions, accompanied by an economic evaluation.

Dr Shepherd says, “Young people should be involved as equal stakeholders in the design and delivery of interventions. Providers of school-based interventions need to be enthusiastic and credible with considerable expertise in classroom management and the delivery of skill building activities such as role plays and group discussions. A supportive school culture is also important.”

To view and download the full report ‘A systematic review and economic evaluation of behavioural approaches to preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young people’ visit www.hta.ac.uk/1666

Notes for editors

 1. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme commissions research about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest NIHR programme and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with over 530 issues published to date. The journal’s 2009 Impact Factor (4.197) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk

2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Williams, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: N.E.Williams@southampton.ac.uk

Emma Sunderland, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 599 094, Email: E.Sunderland@southampton.ac.uk

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