Build teen skills for sexual abstinence and protection
Teach RTR, receive $450 and $200 worth of RTR materials
About Reducing the Risk (RTR)
Reducing the Risk: Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy, HIV and STD presents a powerful, active approach to preventing teen pregnancy and protecting against HIV and other STDs.
RTR goes beyond the mere facts about abstinence and protection and motivates students to actually change their high-risk behaviors.
Now in its 4th edition, the 16-lesson curriculum features:
refusal skills, delaying tactics and alternative actions students can use to abstain from intercourse or use protection
specific guidelines for class activities, background information for teachers, and complete lecture notes
the most recent research showing that RTR can lower students' risk for pregnancy, STD and HIV
updated statistics
For more information about the lessons, see RTR’s Lesson Summary.
Evidence-Based
Originally published in 1989, RTR is one of the first and most rigorously evaluated sexuality education curricula proven to have a measurable impact on behavior.
- In a California study, RTR delayed the onset of intercourse among sexually inexperienced students by as much as 24% and reduced the rate of unprotected intercourse by 40%.
- In an Arkansas study, RTR both delayed the initiation of sex among youth who had not had sex at pretest and increased condom use among those who did initiate sex.
- In a study conducted in urban areas of Kentucky and Ohio, RTR significantly delayed the initiation of sex.
For more information about the research studies, see Research Results.
Based on Behavioral Theory
RTR is effective because it has been carefully designed according to three health behavior theories – Social Learning Theory, Social Influence Theory and Cognitive-Behavioral Theory.
