School or community-based abstinence-only education
Abstinence-only education promotes abstinence from sexual activity through delayed initiation or abstinence until marriage. These programs generally mention condoms or other birth control methods only to highlight their failure rates (CG-HIV/AIDS and pregnancy). Abstinence-only education may take place in schools or in community settings.
Expected Beneficial Outcomes (Rated)
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Reduced sexual activity
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Reduced risky sexual behavior
Evidence of Effectiveness
There is mixed evidence about the effects of abstinence-only education on adolescent sexual activity. Overall, studies find no significant change, positive or negative, to adolescents’ frequency of sex, incidence of unprotected sex, number of partners, sexual initiation, HIV and STI incidence, or condom use as a result of abstinence-only education (Denford S, Abraham C, Campbell R, Busse H. A comprehensive review of reviews of school-based interventions to improve sexual-health. Health Psychology Review. 2017;11(1):33-52.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Denford 2017, Chin HB, Sipe TA, Elder R, et al. The effectiveness of group-based comprehensive risk-reduction and abstinence education interventions to prevent or reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and sexually transmitted infections: Two systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2012;42(3):272-94.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Chin 2012, Underhill K, Operario D, Montgomery P. Abstinence-only programs for HIV infection prevention in high-income countries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007;(4):CD05421.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Cochrane-Underhill 2007, Mathematica-Trenholm 2007, Bennett SE, Assefi NP. School-based teenage pregnancy prevention programs: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005;36(1):72–81.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Bennett 2005). Such programming appears to be associated with increases in pregnancy rates (Stanger-Hall 2010, Yang Z, Gaydos LM. Reasons for and challenges of recent increases in teen birth rates: A study of family planning service policies and demographic changes at the state level. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2010;46(6):517–24.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Yang 2010a, Kohler PK, Manhart LE, Lafferty WE. Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and the initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2008;42(4):344–51.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Kohler 2008, DiCenso 2002). In some cases, however, abstinence-only education programs appear to decrease adolescents’ sexual activity and frequency of sex (Markham 2014, Markham 2012, Chin HB, Sipe TA, Elder R, et al. The effectiveness of group-based comprehensive risk-reduction and abstinence education interventions to prevent or reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and sexually transmitted infections: Two systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2012;42(3):272-94.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Chin 2012, Jemmott JB 3rd, Jemmott LS, Fong GT. Efficacy of a theory-based abstinence-only intervention over 24 months: A randomized controlled trial with young adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2010;16(2):152–9.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Jemmott 2010, Bennett SE, Assefi NP. School-based teenage pregnancy prevention programs: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005;36(1):72–81.
Link to original source (journal subscription may be required for access)Bennett 2005).
Impact on Disparities
No impact on disparities likely
Implementation Examples
Legislation regarding sex education varies from state to state. As of 2017, 37 states require the inclusion of abstinence education, and 26 of these require that abstinence be stressed—27 when HIV education is taught. Nineteen states require that instruction emphasize the importance of engaging in sexual activity only within marriage (Guttmacher-Sex and HIV education).
Citations - Evidence
* Journal subscription may be required for access.
Cochrane-Underhill 2007* - Underhill K, Operario D, Montgomery P. Abstinence-only programs for HIV infection prevention in high-income countries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007;(4):CD05421.
Chin 2012* - Chin HB, Sipe TA, Elder R, et al. The effectiveness of group-based comprehensive risk-reduction and abstinence education interventions to prevent or reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and sexually transmitted infections: Two systematic reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2012;42(3):272-94.
Jemmott 2010* - Jemmott JB 3rd, Jemmott LS, Fong GT. Efficacy of a theory-based abstinence-only intervention over 24 months: A randomized controlled trial with young adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2010;16(2):152–9.
Bennett 2005* - Bennett SE, Assefi NP. School-based teenage pregnancy prevention programs: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005;36(1):72–81.
DiCenso 2002 - DiCenso A, Guyatt G, Willan A, Griffith L. Interventions to reduce unintended pregnancies among adolescents: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2002;324(7351):1426.
Stanger-Hall 2010 - Stanger-Hall KF, Hall DW. Abstinence-only education and teen pregnancy rates: Why we need comprehensive sex education in the US. PLOS One. 2011;6(10):e24658.
Yang 2010a* - Yang Z, Gaydos LM. Reasons for and challenges of recent increases in teen birth rates: A study of family planning service policies and demographic changes at the state level. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2010;46(6):517–24.
Kohler 2008* - Kohler PK, Manhart LE, Lafferty WE. Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education and the initiation of sexual activity and teen pregnancy. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2008;42(4):344–51.
Denford 2017* - Denford S, Abraham C, Campbell R, Busse H. A comprehensive review of reviews of school-based interventions to improve sexual-health. Health Psychology Review. 2017;11(1):33-52.
Markham 2012 - Markham CM, Tortolero SR, Peskin MF, et al. Sexual risk avoidance and sexual risk reduction interventions for middle school youth: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2012;50(3):279-288.
Markham 2014 - Markham CM, Peskin MF, Shegog R, et al. Behavioral and psychosocial effects of two middle school sexual health education programs at tenth-grade follow-up. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2014;54(2):151-159.
Mathematica-Trenholm 2007 - Trenholm C, Devaney B, Fortson K, et al. Impacts of four Title V, Section 510 abstinence education programs. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR); 2007.
Citations - Implementation Examples
* Journal subscription may be required for access.
Guttmacher-Sex and HIV education - Guttmacher Institute. Sex and HIV education. New York: Guttmacher Institute.
Date Last Updated
- Scientifically Supported: Strategies with this rating are most likely to make a difference. These strategies have been tested in many robust studies with consistently positive results.
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- Expert Opinion: Strategies with this rating are recommended by credible, impartial experts but have limited research documenting effects; further research, often with stronger designs, is needed to confirm effects.
- Insufficient Evidence: Strategies with this rating have limited research documenting effects. These strategies need further research, often with stronger designs, to confirm effects.
- Mixed Evidence: Strategies with this rating have been tested more than once and results are inconsistent or trend negative; further research is needed to confirm effects.
- Evidence of Ineffectiveness: Strategies with this rating are not good investments. These strategies have been tested in many robust studies with consistently negative and sometimes harmful results.