Dual method use in adolescents: a review and framework for research on use of STD and pregnancy protection

Abstract

Fortunately for adolescents excellent models of service integration (including family planning and STD services) already exist in some areas including full-service school-based and school-linked clinics as well as community-based youth-serving clinics that have adopted protocols for interdisciplinary assessment and treatment of adolescent health problems. However the knowledge base regarding how to promote use of at least two methods to protect effectively against both STDs and pregnancy (referred to as “dual method use”) lags behind the promising possibilities presented by comprehensive adolescent health services and managed care settings that have assumed responsibility for public health prevention promotion and assurance. The expansion of this limited knowledge base is hampered by the failure of most researchers in this area to use complex integrative frameworks characterized by the potential for moving beyond and outside the limited conceptual spheres presented by most theories of health behavior. In addition as will be described shortly few datasets have contained the necessary breadth and scope of variables plus longitudinal designs to permit use of comprehensive integrating schema. (excerpt)