Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17656503›Full record

SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2007

Sexual abstinence only programmes to prevent HIV infection in high income countries: systematic review.

Kristen Underhill, Paul Montgomery, Don Operario

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
40.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

47 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 176 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Changes in Sexual Behaviors Due to Mpox: a Cross-Sectional Study of Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals in Illinois.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2024
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  17. More comprehensive sex education reduced teen births: Quasi-experimental evidence.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Kristen UnderhillCentre for Evidence-Based Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2ER.
Paul Montgomery
Don Operario
University of Oxford · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the effects of sexual abstinence only programmes for HIV prevention among participants in high income countries.

designSystematic review. DATA SOURCES: 30 electronic databases without linguistic or geographical restrictions to February 2007, contacts with experts, hand searching, and cross referencing. REVIEW

methodsTwo reviewers independently applied inclusion criteria and extracted data, resolving disagreements by consensus and referral to a third reviewer. Randomised and quasirandomised controlled trials of abstinence only programmes in any high income country were included. Programmes aimed to prevent HIV only or both pregnancy and HIV. Trials evaluated biological outcomes (incidence of HIV, sexually transmitted infection, pregnancy) or behavioural outcomes (incidence or frequency of unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex; incidence or frequency of any vaginal, anal, or oral sex; number of partners; condom use; sexual initiation).

resultsThe search identified 13 trials enrolling about 15,940 US youths. All outcomes were self reported. Compared with various controls, no programme affected incidence of unprotected vaginal sex, number of partners, condom use, or sexual initiation. One trial observed adverse effects at short term follow-up (sexually transmitted infections, frequency of sex) and long term follow-up (sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy) compared with usual care, but findings were offset by trials with non-significant results. Another trial observed a protective effect on incidence of vaginal sex compared with usual care, but this was limited to short term follow-up and countered by trials with non-significant findings. Heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis.

conclusionProgrammes that exclusively encourage abstinence from sex do not seem to affect the risk of HIV infection in high income countries, as measured by self reported biological and behavioural outcomes.

Indexed as

Developed CountriesSexual AbstinenceHIV InfectionsHumansIncomePrognosisRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID17656503
PMCPMC1939793
OpenAlexW2081409099

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.