Key issues: abstinence
Which approach is more effective in preventing HIV infection among young people and reducing teenage pregnancy: abstinence only or broad-based sexual health promotion?
The debate on this issue has gained prominence following the US government's increased funding of abstinence only programmes for young people. However, despite the US federal government's 20-year support for abstinence-only-until-marriage programmes for American adolescents, there is no peer-reviewed research proving that these have had a positive impact on behaviour. Those advocating a broad-based sexual health promotion approach argue that programmes delivering a clear, sustained message of abstinence as one option alongside the use of condoms and other forms of contraception are the most effective in reducing risky behaviour among young people.
This key issues guide looks at the arguments for and against both approaches, providing a review of the evidence base and summaries of research on the key issues with links to further sources
- Spending requirement presents challenges for allocating prevention funding under the President’s plan for AIDS relief
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This report finds that the President’s Plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR) restrictions on funding, including abstinence-only prevention requirements, have presented serious challenges for country teams’ to implement adequate prevention strategies.
In this guide:
- Abstinence only programmes
- Sexual health and HIV education programmes
- Abstinence only
- Broad-based sexual health programmes
- Peer education
- Mass media HIV awareness and behaviour change
- Youth development programmes
- What young people want
- Achieving and assessing behaviour change
