Defining behavioral methods to prevent sexually transmitted diseases through intervention research.

This article focuses on efforts to use behavioral interventions to prevent STDs. Presented is a history of attempts to prevent and control STDs through behavior change and a summary of the main theoretic approaches to human behavior that have provided the scientific base for behavioral public health interventions. The authors also review the important behavior intervention studies, most of which have addressed chronic disease prevention. They specify the differences between behaviors that are associated with chronic disease and those that increase risk for STDs, as well as the implications of these differences for behavioral prevention of STDs. Finally, a review of the accumulating empiric evidence in the area of behavioral prevention of STDs is presented and a strategy for the development of methods to help change risk behaviors for STDS (including AIDS) is proposed.