| Sumario: | QUESTION: Do health education interventions promote sexual risk reduction behaviours associated with the transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) in women? Data sources: Studies were identified by searching the Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register (1998, issue 4), Medline (1999-8), EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1993-8), ERIC (1994-7), PsycLIT (1996-7), the Social Science Citation Index (1994-7), and handsearching selected journals and reference lists. Study selection: Studies were selected if they evaluated educational interventions (eg, group or one-on-one learning and media campaigns) delivered by any provider (eg, teachers, health promotion experts, clinicians, and peer educators) in any setting (eg, schools, colleges, and clinics) among sexually and pre-sexually active women between 13 and 64 years of age and measured behavioural or clinical outcomes (eg, condom use and HPV or sexuallty transmitted disease [STD] incidence). Data extraction: Study design interventions, behavioural and clinical outcomes, participant characteristics, and methodological quality. Main results: 30 studies met the selection criteria. 10 studies (8 randomised controlled trials and 2 controlled trials without randomisation, mean follow up duration range 3-6 mo, 5089 women, age range 11-54 years, predominantly low socioeconomic status) were judged to be methodologically sound and were included in the analysis; all aimed to prevent HIV and other STDs (rather than cervical cancer) by providing factual information complemented with sexual negotiation skill development in women. Meta-analysis of studies was not done because of the heterogeneity in interventions, study populations, and outcome measures. In all 10 studies, health education interventions promoted sexual risk reduction behaviours, generally with self reported increases in the short term (typically 3 mo) use of condoms for vaginal intercourse. Health education information plus sexual negotiation skill development was associated with greater short term condom use than information alone (3 studies), no treatment (1 study), a waiting list control group (1 study), a single component intervention (1 study), or 'generic' health promotion (2 studies). Conclusion: Health education interventions that offer factual information complemented with sexual negotiation skill development promote short term increases in condom use for vaginal intercourse in women. [Original article accession number: 2000006688 (research, systematic review)]
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