Focus on Teen Men: Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Wise Guys Program

PROBLEM: Many interventions designed to promote safe sexual behaviors in teens focus on young women. Wise Guys is one curricular intervention designed to foster safe sexual practices in young men. This study assessed knowledge, attitude, and behavioral changes as the result of Wise Guys. METHODS: This pre/posttest descriptive study measured changes in knowledge, attitudes, and sexual behaviors in 159 young men. FINDINGS: This study detected limited knowledge and attitude changes but yielded statistically significant differences in safe sexual behaviors and likelihood to talk with parents or guardians about sexuality and dating. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed important benefits of Wise Guys and proposed future mixed methods research to ensure that authentic teen voices inform programing. Nurses working with adolescents may find this information valuable as they address sexual health issues in their work.