Impact of a Scholar Based Program on the Social Skills and Sexual Health of Colombian Teens: A Prospective Randomize Controlled Study

To evaluate the impact of the program " Know and Do to Be Well " on the social skills and sexual health of Colombian scholars of 5 different cities. Methodology: Prospective, randomized controlled study realized between 2012-2013. The experimental group attended workshops about HIV, sexuality, STI, social skills and self-perceptions during 4 months. Controls attended any. For the quantitative assessment, questionnaires of social interaction skills were applied prior and at end of the intervention, and analyzed through STATA and Differences in Differences statistical packages. Age and gender were adjusted by Mann Whitney test with a 5% level of significance. For the qualitative assessment, three focus groups were made one year later; discussions were transcribed in Word 7.0, and analyzed by authors. Results: A total of 358 scholars aged 10-20 years (mean 14.5) participated; 168 (46, 93 %) in the experimental group and 190 (53, 07 %) as controls. The quantitative assessment showed a positive significant effect on 60% (p=<0.05) of social interaction skills of scholars, mainly, improving their knowledge on HIV and sexual and reproductive health. Also a reduction of the antisocial and criminal behavior was observed. The qualitative assessment showed the same positive effects, but condom negotiation and sexual decision-making processes remained affected by gender and cultural influences. Conclusions: Health scholar based programs motivate adolescents to adopt healthier sexual behaviors and strengthen their personal skills. However, decision-making issues are difficult, so scholars still need continuous support from parents and teachers to empower them against social pressures.