Behavioral Counseling Lowers Risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections in At-Risk Adolescents and Adults

Inquiring about sexual history during primary care encounters is important for identifying at-risk adolescents and adults who would benefit from behavioral counseling.

Sponsoring Organization: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

Background

In 2014, the USPSTF recommended behavioral counseling to lower risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs); the Task Force now has updated that recommendation. The types of behavioral counseling assessed by the USPSTF included individual and group counseling, referral to outside counseling services, and clinician recommendations for media-based interventions.

Recommendations

The USPSTF concludes that providing behavioral counseling to lower STI risk in sexually active adolescents and adults at high STI risk confers net benefit (B recommendation).

Interventions that last longer than 120 minutes and are conducted over several sessions are the most effective; singl…

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate