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WHAT COULD YOU DO? was
developed to provide a cost-effective method of delivering an STD
risk-reduction intervention for adolescent girls. The interactive
video intervention aims to increase knowledge of STDs, decrease sexual
risk behaviors, and decrease STD acquisition.
Participants were recruited from four healthcare sites in the urban
Pittsburgh area: a children’s hospital’s adolescent medicine
clinic, two community health centers, and a women’s teaching
hospital. The young women participating in the study were all between
14 and 18 years old, and had engaged in heterosexual vaginal sex in
the six months prior to the study. Written informed consent was obtained
from all participants, or from their parents/guardians for participants
Following the completion of baseline measures and a self-administered
vaginal swab, participants were randomly assigned to one of three
conditions: 1) interactive video (experimental condition), 2) content-matched
control condition (a 127-page book containing all of the content of
the interactive video), or 3) topic-matched control condition (23
commercially available brochures, with content closely matching that
of the video and book). Booster sessions followed at one, three and
six months after the initial intervention.
At all follow-up points, the participants in all three conditions
increased their STD knowledge, both general and specific.
Participants in the video condition were more likely than their control
condition counterparts to have been completely abstinent in the time
from baseline to the three-month follow-up (OR = 2.5, p = 0.027. This
pattern diminished between the three-month and six-month visits (OR
= 1.45, p = 0.344). Although there were no significant differences
in condom use among the conditions, there was a trend toward more
condom use and fewer condom failures among the participants of the
At the six-month follow-up, participants in the control conditions
were nearly twice as likely as video condition participants to have
been diagnosed with an STD (OR = 2.79, p = .05). This pattern held
for all nine reported diseases.
WHAT COULD YOU
DO? is suitable for use in physician and clinic offices. It may be
suitable for use in schools provided there is privacy for the viewer
(some of the material is graphic in nature).
The original intervention
sample consisted of 300 females, aged 14-18.
Most participants (75%) self identified as African American,
with 15% white and 10% “Other” or mixed
Given the interactive
nature of the video, the amount of time a viewer spends with it will
depend largely on the selections she makes at any of the several decision
points. The “structured” version of the DVD permits the
viewer to follow a single story line, whereas the “flexible”
version allows the viewer to skip or review sections at will. In the
original evaluation study of WCYD?, girls spent an average of 45 minutes
viewing the interactive video.
No staffing or
training is required for the interactive video. Only a television
and DVD player, or personal sized DVD player are needed. (Note: Although
the DVD can be viewed on a computer, it functions more smoothly when
viewed with a DVD player.)
| Primary Pregnancy Prevention
| Community Outreach
| Contraceptive Access
| Contraceptive Education
| Adult Involvement
| Group Discussion
| Role Play
Other: Cognitive rehearsal