Commentary: Sex education interventions: increasing knowledge is only a first step.

aim of sex education interventions should be to reduce the adverse outcomes of sexual intercourse. This includes unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infection rates. The findings of the most recent systematic review of interventions to reduce unintended pregnancies amongst adolescents, using the results exclusively from randomized trials in developed countries , are disappointing. 1 In the past, reviews of evidence have been critical of the methodologies employed to evaluate the impact of sex education interventions. The findings of observational studies in this area are more likely to have positive findings, and are undoubtedly biased, compared with randomized trials. 2 More recently a significant number of such interventions have been evaluated using rigorous trial methodologies.view of a multi-site HIV prevention trial for populations at risk for HIV. unintended pregnancies among adolescents: systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2002;324:1420–30. 18 Kirby D. School based programs to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviours. impact evaluation of project SNAPP: an AIDS and pregnancy prevention middle school program. education intervention on aspects of reproductive health knowledge and reported behavior among adolescents in Zimbabwe. A health belief model-social learning theory approach to adolescents' fertility control: findings from a controlled field trial.