title: Short-term evaluation of a skill-development sexual education program for Spanish adolescents compared with a well-established program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights the importance of evaluating interventions rigorously and recommends evaluating new interventions against interventions with established efficacy. Competencias para adolescentes con una sexualidad saludable (COMPAS) is a school-based HIV prevention program that has been shown to be effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors among adolescents in Spain. This study evaluates the efficacy of COMPAS program compared with a Spanish-culture adapted version of ¡Cuídate! (Take Care of Yourself), an evidence-based HIV prevention curriculum designed for Latino adolescents in the US.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cluster randomized controlled trial involved 1,563 adolescents attending 18 public high schools located in 5 provinces of Spain. The schools invited to participate were enrolled and randomly assigned to the three experimental conditions: COMPAS, ¡Cuídate!, and control group (CG; no intervention).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Generalized estimating equation analyses revealed that both interventions improved attitudes toward people living with human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV)/AIDS and the HIV test and increased HIV/sexually transmitted infection knowledge and intention to engage in safer sex behaviors compared with the CG. Although only COMPAS increased participants' sexual risk perception and attitude toward condom use compared with the CG, the two interventions did not significantly differ on any outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When compared with an established program, COMPAS was at least as effective at increasing the intention to engage in safer sex behaviors as the evidence-based intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Alicante, Spain. Electronic address: jpespada@umh.es.
authors.forename: José P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Espada
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Mireia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orgilés
authors.affiliation: Annenberg School for Communication and Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jemmott
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Loretta S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Jemmott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012572:School Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013030:Spain; D014481:United States
keywords: Adolescent health; Evaluation; HIV/AIDS; Intervention research; Sexually transmitted diseases