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Background: Hispanics are one of the most vulnerable populations to contract Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) in the USA. In PR 15,000 cases of STD are reported by PR Health Department. The Department of Education does not have an official curriculum that promotes sexual health (SH) in adolescents further than abstinence.
Objectives: To evaluate change in knowledge of STD in a group of adolescents between the ages of 11-19 years old in a scholar district of PR, after a sexual health intervention designed by a CBO.
Methods: One shot interventions were programmed among one of the metropolitan school districts. A MCH practitioner made interventions for increasing knowledge of STD and its prevention among adolescents. Pre and Post test were taken to evaluate change in knowledge. A 17 item instrument was used to measure knowledge and prevention practices. Univariate and bivariate analysis were made using SPPS ver. 17.0.
Results: 51.1% of participants were males in grades 7th to 12th, which had taken health classes at school (78.2%). Pretest scores showed that only 15% of adolescents had adequate knowledge (70% of the items correct) of STD and STD prevention. 60% of participants did not identify abstinence as a prevention of STD, 64.1% did not know that having one sexual partner could also prevent STDs. Less than 70% of the students incorrectly identified etiology of STD’s. Posttest scores showed that more 30% of the participants reported adequate knowledge. Changes in knowledge reported to be statistically significant (t-test173= -2.90, p-value = 0.003).
Conclusions: Although abstinence is highly enforced by current school health programs; participants didn’t recognize it as a STD prevention practice. Health intervention increased the knowledge of adolescents.
Implications for Programs, Policy, and Research: Effective interventions are needed to promote SH among adolescents preventing STD and improving adolescent’s health in PR. In addition, there is a needed to evaluate adolescents’ STD prevention programs.