Exit Interviews from Adolescent Girls Who Participated in a Sexual Risk-reduction Intervention: Implications for Community-based Health Education Promotion for Adolescents

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to invite girls who participated in a gender-specific sexual risk-reduction intervention to describe their experiences and identify program characteristics most or least beneficial to their involvement.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were completed with 26 African American, low-income girls aged 15 to 19 years who had participated in a sexual risk-reduction intervention as part of a randomized controlled trial. The girls were interviewed after completing a 12-month postintervention survey. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for categories.

Results: Analyses of the interview data identified 6 categories: 1) reasons for participating, 2) strategies for maintaining behavior changes, 3) interacting with others, 4) communicating with mothers, 5) disseminating information to friends and family, and 6) disseminating information to the males in the community.

Discussion: Many of the girls participating in the theory-based behavior change intervention reported selecting from a menu of strategies learned through the intervention to reduce their sexual risk. Having the opportunity to discuss sexual health with peers and trained facilitators, particularly in an all-female environment, was cited as a positive benefit. Community health organizations and clinicians who care for adolescent girls can adapt many aspects of this intervention to help reduce their sexual risk.