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SMART Project

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Ve esta página en español.

Adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV. However, there are a lack of HIV prevention programs designed specifically for AMSM. That's why we created SMART, the Sexual Minority Adolescent Risk Taking Project.

What is SMART?

SMART is an online sex education and HIV prevention program designed to meet the sexual health needs of AMSM. SMART covers topics like navigating sex and romantic relationships, understanding sexual and gender identities, and connecting with the LGBT community. The program is available in English and Spanish for teens who live in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

We Want To Answer These Questions

Does SMART reduce HIV risk among AMSM?

Does SMART reduce HIV risk across sub-groups of AMSM? For example:

  • Does it work the same for English and Spanish speaking AMSM?
  • Does it work the same for AMSM who identify as different races and ethnicities?
  • Does it work the same for younger and older teens?

How should we deliver SMART in the future?

  • How cost effective is SMART?
  • Who should deliver SMART? Schools? Healthcare providers? Community-based organizations? Others?

A CDC Evidence-Informed Intervention

SMART Sex Ed is listed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as an evidence-informed intervention for HIV prevention. 

View the SMART Sex Ed information sheet from the CDC.

What Teens Have Said About SMART

CONFIDENCE

“It gave me a lot of advice and boosted my confidence in myself.”

INCLUSION

“I like how SMART contains information outside of the traditional view of sexual orientation and gender identity. In a regular sex ed/health class, there is no LGBTQ information and often leads to feelings of exclusion.”

PRIVACY

“It’s confidential, it has a lot of different information for different situations. It pushed me to want to have safer sex and get checked.”