Increasing condom use among adolescents with coalition-based social marketing.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated a multimodal social marketing intervention to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV infection among adolescents in Sacramento, California, USA.


METHODS
Five rounds of a cross-sectional random sample telephone survey were conducted from December 1996 to October 1998. The total number of respondents was 1402.


RESULTS
A statistically significant, increasing trend in exposure to the intervention was detected. The number of channels through which an adolescent had been exposed to the intervention was associated with condom use at last sex with main partner [odds ratio (OR) 1.26, P < 0.01] and with psychosocial determinants of this behavior. After statistical adjustments for sex, age, and race/ethnicity to make the survey rounds comparable, the proportion of adolescents who had used a condom at last sex increased 4.3 percentage points over the 1 year intervention period.


CONCLUSIONS
Social marketing can be combined with behavioral science to reduce the risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among adolescents in a large geographical area. Such a reduction can exceed expectations based on national secular trends.
Kennedy
M G
MG
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Mizuno
Y
Y
Seals
B F
BF
Myllyluoma
J
J
Weeks-Norton
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*