Developing an interactive STD-prevention program for youth: lessons from a north Indian slum

An intervention developed to teach young men in the urban slums of Lucknow, India, about sexually transmitted diseases is described in detail. This community-based intervention was designed to impart core educational messages and to address preexisting ideas about sexual health and STD-prevention practices among participants. Indicators of knowledge recorded before and after the intervention are presented and evaluated against the scores of a control group. Levels of sexual activity and factors associated with risky sex are discussed. The intervention was successful in raising the young men's awareness of STDs significantly in all areas except for the length of time that symptoms take to manifest following risky sex and the ineffectiveness of washing one's genitals after sex to avoid acquiring STDs. Lessons learned during the intervention are described as a means of informing future STD-education programs, and issues requiring prompt attention are identified.