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ETR Blog

Check out what our people and partners are researching, thinking, reading, writing, watching and doing! (Note: The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ETR as an agency.)


Better Condom Education for High School Students: Putting Data into Practice
February 8, 2024

Better Condom Education for High School Students: Putting Data into Practice

By The ETR Team |  February 8, 2024

In honor of National Condom Month, we’re here to discuss innovative research on condom misuse and effective strategies in condom education. What are the most common errors high school students make about condom use? Thanks to some recent research by ETR and our partners at Public Health, Seattle & King County, we can share some insights on that question.   

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Tags: Research to practice, Condoms, Research, Sexual and reproductive health, Health education
Emergency Contraception: Here's What to Know
November 15, 2023

Emergency Contraception: Here's What to Know

By Jessica Neupane, MPH | November 15, 2023
Marketing & Communications Coordinator, ETR

In honor of Thanks, Birth Control Day, ETR wants to show support for the birth control access movement and contraceptive education. At ETR, we believe everyone deserves access to and education about birth control methods that work best for their body, their life, and their goals. 

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Engaging Youth to Measure Sexual Reproductive Health Quality and Access: In Conversation with Nirali Chakraborty
September 18, 2023

Engaging Youth to Measure Sexual Reproductive Health Quality and Access: In Conversation with Nirali Chakraborty

By Sarah Han, MPH, Youth-Centered Health Designer, ETR, Nirali Chakraborty, Ph.D. Chief Strategy Officer & Director of Research, Metrics for Management (M4M), | September 18, 2023

This summer, Sarah Han, Youth Centered Health Designer at ETR, joined the Measuring Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (MY SRH) Initiative at the Women Deliver 2023 conference in Kigali, Rwanda. Led by Metrics for Management (M4M), this global advisory group of young professionals convened to tackle the question, “How can we dismantle the barriers that hinder young people's access to respectful, high-quality SRH services?" In this conversation, Sarah is joined by Nirali Chakraborty, Chief Strategy Officer and Director of Research at M4M to learn more about this critical work in global youth SRH.

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Revolutionising Comprehensive Sexuality Education: The Progress and Success Story of Sexdugram
September 6, 2023

Revolutionising Comprehensive Sexuality Education: The Progress and Success Story of Sexdugram

By Dina Chaerani, Elvita Trisnawati and Fatimah Huurin Jannah | September 6, 2023

Comprehensive Sexuality Education has long been a topic of contention, often fraught with misinformation, taboo, and inadequate resources. But amidst these challenges, innovators, youth-led organisations, and even NGOs are stepping up to make a difference. Who expected that one such innovation-making wave came from three Indonesian Youths who established Sexdugram, an Instagram-based initiative that revolutionised how CSE is delivered, discussed, and embraced. 

 

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What I Learned at Women Deliver 2023: Dismantling Barriers to Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Care
August 25, 2023

What I Learned at Women Deliver 2023: Dismantling Barriers to Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Care

By Sarah Han, MPH | August 25, 2023
Youth-Centered Health Designer, ETR

Young people face multiple challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, with stigma from providers and staff and compromised confidentiality and privacy as key barriers. Learn more about Sarah Han's experiences as a part of a globally representative advisory group of young professionals at Women Deliver 2023 in Rwanda for the Measuring Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (MY SRH) Initiative led by Metrics for Management.

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Creating Status Neutral HIV Prevention and Care
June 16, 2023

Creating Status Neutral HIV Prevention and Care

By Li Lock, PhD, MEd | June 16, 2023
Research Associate, ETR

HIV services have historically been split into prevention and treatment, often with additional services, such as primary care and housing, more readily available to those on the treatment side. However, there’s a new topic emerging in HIV services that can help change the landscape of HIV prevention and care, as well as your direct work with your community: status neutral. 

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The Need for Evidence-Based Sexual Health Education
October 26, 2022

The Need for Evidence-Based Sexual Health Education

By The ETR Team | October 26, 2022

Evidence-based pregnancy and STI prevention programs are programs that have been shown, in at least one program evaluation, to have a positive effect on reducing unplanned pregnancy or associated behavioral risk factors, such as delaying sexual activity, or increasing condom or contraceptive use. Providing young people with evidence-based pregnancy and STI prevention programs is one strategy to help address the disparities that persist in the United States. With schools and service organizations facing limited time and resources, these programs serve as an effective option for reducing risk behaviors.

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5 Messages to Support Young People Through Puberty
August 9, 2022

5 Messages to Support Young People Through Puberty

By Lauren Ranalli, MPH | August 9, 2022
Director of Marketing and Communications, ETR

What do you remember from your own experience of going through puberty? For many of us, it was a time of confusion, excitement, embarrassment, anxiety, anticipation, and a mix of other emotions. Here are 5 messages we as trusted adults can use to help our students, patients, or program participants get through this challenging time.

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Get PrEPped! Tips for Giving Your Sexual Health Toolbox a Glow Up
July 20, 2022

Get PrEPped! Tips for Giving Your Sexual Health Toolbox a Glow Up

By Kristin Kennedy, Li Lock, and Adrian Neil Jr. | July 20, 2022
HIV & Sexual Reproductive Health at ETR

In July of 2012, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved Truvada® for PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis. While this advancement was a huge breakthrough in HIV prevention, many health equity barriers still exist for clients/patients that prevent PrEP from becoming an accessible and engaging aspect of their sexual health. As public health and health education professionals, we still have a lot of work to do and we can’t do it alone. We’re excited to share this resource with you to help your teams.

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We Have the Tools to Eliminate Hepatitis C: Advancing Harm Reduction Strategies through Data and Storytelling
May 27, 2022

We Have the Tools to Eliminate Hepatitis C: Advancing Harm Reduction Strategies through Data and Storytelling

By Rebecca Erenrich, MPH and Kristin Kennedy, MS, MPH, CPH | May 27, 2022

The United States is experiencing rising rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, fueled by the nation’s growing opioid crisis. This issue is particularly acute in Appalachia, where the increase in injection drug use led to a more than three-fold rise in new cases of hepatitis among young people between 2006 and 2012. As we close out Hepatitis Awareness Month, recognized each year in May, ETR remains committed to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and combatting the spread of HCV. As part of our fight for health equity, ETR offers science- and evidence-based resources on sexual health and safer drug use and works and maintains a portfolio of community-driven projects rooted in harm reduction, including HepConnect.

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We're in This Fight: Access to Safe, Legal Abortion
May 5, 2022

We're in This Fight: Access to Safe, Legal Abortion

By The ETR Team | May 5, 2022 (Updated June 24, 2022)

Access to safe, legal abortion is at critical risk. In the next few months, 26 states could vote to ban abortion, putting in place insurmountable barriers to abortion services for over 36 million women and people who can become pregnant, which can have a profound lasting impact. We’re in this fight and are prepared to be an active, engaged partner in creating a culture that mirrors our mission, vision, and values.

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The Roots of Black Family Wellness
February 24, 2022

The Roots of Black Family Wellness

By ETR and Roots Community Health Center | February 24, 2022

In this conversation, ETR’s Black Family Wellness team is joined by the Roots Community Health Center (RCHC) team to discuss the need for utilizing a holistic community-led approach to address systemic racism in health care and support the holistic health of Black women who are pregnant.

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New Study Examines COVID-19 Impact on Youth Romantic and Sexual Relationships
November 19, 2021

New Study Examines COVID-19 Impact on Youth Romantic and Sexual Relationships

By Sarah Han, MPH | November 19, 2021
Youth Centered Health Designer, ETR

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of teens and young adults in countless ways. However, as public health researchers, practitioners, and advocates, we still don’t know much about how the pandemic has affected the romantic and sexual relationships of teens and young adults. Last month, a study examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s relationships was published in BMC Public Health, shining a light on this important, yet understudied, issue.

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Sexually Explicit Media and Young People's Sexual Health Outcomes: Kirby Summit 2021 Findings
September 2, 2021

Sexually Explicit Media and Young People's Sexual Health Outcomes: Kirby Summit 2021 Findings

By Amy Peterson, PhD | September 2, 2021
Senior Research Associate, ETR

Our 2021 Kirby Summit explored the relationship between sexually explicit media (SEM), like pornography, and young people's sexual health outcomes (including attitudes and behaviors). Here is what we learned in our research, including listening sessions and literature review.

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National HIV Testing Day: 25 Years Later
June 22, 2021

National HIV Testing Day: 25 Years Later

By Eddie Givens | June 22, 2021
Guest Writer, Community Member and Activist

Eddie Givens shares his reflections on the history of HIV Testing Day and the AIDS epidemic, highlighting the importance of HIV education, health equity, and ensuring accessible testing in every community.

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"I have to be very careful about what I say": How Canadian Teachers Describe Delivering a Controversial Comprehensive Sex-Education Curriculum
May 10, 2021

"I have to be very careful about what I say": How Canadian Teachers Describe Delivering a Controversial Comprehensive Sex-Education Curriculum

By Melissa Perri, Sarah Flicker, Adrian Guta, and Marilou Gagnon | May 10, 2021
Social and Behavioural Health Sciences, Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto

Internationally, comprehensive sex-ed programs have garnered promising results. Ontario, Canada’s largest province, recently implemented a new, responsive and controversial provincial sex-ed curriculum. An interdisciplinary team of public health, sociology and education scholars collaborated to learn more about the implementation challenges faced by health and physical education teachers. We sought to gain feedback on how recent curricular changes have altered the ease and effectiveness of delivery and get educators’ opinions on recommendations for improving future sex-ed curricula changes. 

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STD or STI? Making a Difference with Sexual Health Education
April 14, 2021

STD or STI? Making a Difference with Sexual Health Education

By Laura Perkins, MLS, and Suzanne Schrag, BA | April 14, 2021
Health Literacy Editor and Product Manager/Editor, ETR

For years, there’s been a debate in the public health community over whether to use the term "STD" or "STI" in patient education materials. Some leading authoritative organizations continue to use STD, but many organizations have switched to using STI, or to using both terms. We explore various perspectives on this topic from different sexual health educators around the country.

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5 Things to Include in Your STI/STD Health Lesson
March 22, 2021

5 Things to Include in Your STI/STD Health Lesson

By Lauren Ranalli, MPH | March 22, 2021
Director of Marketing and Communications, ETR

Educators play a critical role in providing young people with accurate, inclusive information on sexually transmitted infections, or sexually transmitted diseases (STIs/STDs). In addition to educating teens and adolescents on the signs and symptoms of STIs/STDs, here are 5 points to make sure you cover in your health lessons. And read on for resources that can support your sexual health program! 

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World AIDS Day Resilience and Impact: Health Equity at the Core
December 1, 2020

World AIDS Day Resilience and Impact: Health Equity at the Core

By Vignetta Charles, PhD | December 1, 2020
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

December 1st marks Worlds AIDS Day and this year’s theme is Resilience and Impact. In ETR’s nearly 40-year history addressing HIV/AIDS, we have been committed partners in the fight to end the epidemic. We have witnessed the resilience of people living with HIV as well as the impact of the work to end HIV — particularly the work that centers the voices of communities most impacted.

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3 Ways to Recharge Your Birth Control Lesson
November 11, 2020

3 Ways to Recharge Your Birth Control Lesson

By Mia Barrett, MEd | November 11, 2020
Project Coordinator, ETR

Talking about birth control options is the bread and butter for many sex educators—handing out charts that list each method, pointing out failure rates, busting myths.  Whether you are new to the field or have been at this for a while, your "Birth Control 101” lesson might need a fresh spark.  Here are three ways to help young people get the most out of your class.  

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