Evaluating the Effectiveness of Workshop Interventions on Contraceptive Use Among First-Year College Students

This study investigated the impact of interventions designed to affect contraceptive knowledge and attitudes on the intent to use and reported use of contraceptives among 362 first year college students. After completing a pretest questionnaire, students were randomly assigned to a nonintervention control group or one of four workshops utilizing different approaches to education about sexuality and contraceptive use. The posttest results indicated that all four treatment groups increased in contraceptive knowledge relative to the control group. In addition, groups receiving an experientially oriented intervention showed significantly more positive changes in their contraceptive attitudes than did students in the conmI group. Moreover, students who participated in interventions focusing on experiential factors were significantly more likely than other students to indicate intent to use and reported use of birth control at the thee month posttest. The overall pattern of findings support major theoretical models praposed by Byme (1977) and Fishbein (1972) of the relationships between contraceptive attitudes and use. Suggestions are made for applying these findings in sexuality education.