Internet-Based Promotion of Safer Sex and Condom Use among Young People

Abstract

Summary Sex education is aimed at equipping individuals with sex-related information, motivation, and behavioral skills that will enable them to avoid sex-related problems and to achieve sexual well-being. Safer sex promotion and condom promotion and distribution programmes have grown significantly since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Condom use among young people is especially important because the young are often at greatest risk of HIV infection and have the least access to condoms. In many countries, where the Internet is part of the media landscape, not-for-profit agencies, governments and commercial condom companies alike have started utilising the Internet to promote safer sex and condom use. Most young people have regular access to the internet, and there is some expectation that the Internet is helping to fill the sexual health information gap. The development of an Internet-based, theoretically-driven, innovative approach to sex education weds the special strengths of the Internet as a rich, interactive, individualized pedagogical tool in order to provide effective sex education to large numbers of individuals in a very cost-effective fashion. The proposed approach exploits the characteristics of anonymity, availability, affordability, acceptability, and aloneness of using the Internet. Within this approach, learners are first individually assessed in terms of information, motivation, and behavioral skills deficits that are relevant to the individual's sexual problems and sexual well-being.