SMART SEX Discussion Guideline

  1. What person or situation in the video left the biggest impression on you? Why?

  2. What other characters or situations in the video had an impact on you and made you think?

    (By now the discussion has mentioned the young mother with AIDS, and the DJ named Bill with the paternity suit who won't wear a condom. This is a natural lead-in to discussion about condom use, STD's, abstinence, risk and safety, and control issues.)

  3. How safe are condoms? Have you or someone you know ever had a condom break? Let the group discuss. Talk about condom failure and % of protection and failure. Discuss product reliability (can be 98%)and user reliability. Some studies show that condoms have as high as a 16% failure rate when used for contraception. Discuss the "human failure factor."

  4. What do you think about the comment in the video, "The woman has to be in control?" Why is this so important? Do women have more at stake? "You have to protect yourself. No one else is going to do it for you." What do the men think? Bottom line: the individual has to be in control.

  5. What did you think of the comment made by the guy who was relieved that his girlfriend told him she was pregnant? He was glad she didn't say she had AIDS.

  6. What did you think of the couple who made a decision to "hold out" on having sex? Have you known someone who has made this choice? Have you ever had an AIDS test done? Is it important?

  7. There was something Vivian said about being in a monogamous relationship with a guy. Does anybody remember what she said? "Love does not protect you." How safe is monogamy without a condom? What about past partners? Who is in control? What about cheating? How important is fidelity in a relationship?

  8. One of the guys in the video said, "The wake-up call for me was when a friend of mine who I grew up with got herpes ..I realized if he could get it, I could get it."

    Have you ever known someone who got a "wake-up call?" What other wake-up calls are there? chlamydia, unplanned pregnancy Does anyone know what HPV is? Talk about STD's and risk. AIDS and other.

  9. Have you or any of your friends chosen abstinence? How realistic is abstinence? What are the advantages of this decision? The choice of abstinence is being given much more respect and credibility, in a time when STD's are so prevalent, because, the bottom line is, it is the safest choice. What are the disadvantages? What would keep you from making this decision?

  10. How much risky sex or unprotected sex goes on -- on the college campus? What factors influence risk? peer pressure, alcohol, lack of assertiveness and communication skills, lack of planning. No matter what you have done in the past, you can make a new and decision about sex and protection any time you want to.

  11. One guy in the film gave a girl credit for buying condoms. He said "We should respect them for it and encourage it." Do you agree? (yes) Likewise, when someone chooses abstinence or secondary virginity, it is important to give them credit for making a safe decision.

SMART SEX PROGRAM FORMAT:

Total program time is 1 hr. and 30 min. to 2 hours. The compelling Smart Sex MTV video runs 48 minutes and is followed by 30 minutes of discussion. We show the video on a big screen monitor.

Have people get refreshments before the video.
Have students complete the Pre-Survey.
Have the RA introduce the program leaders.

Student leader makes introductory comments before the video:

"Whether you have had sex in the past or have never had sex, if you plan to have sex or decide not to have sex, or if you have a friend who has had sex, this program is for YOU. The video we are about to see was shown on MTV. It is about college students, sexual choices and decision making. It deal with all kinds of choices.

Following the video we will have a brief informal discussion session."

Show the video (48 minutes)

Following the video, turn chairs into circle, more or less, so everyone can see everyone else.

Use the SMART SEX Discussion Guideline as necessary to open the discussion of issues using the characters and quotes from the video.

Have Students complete the Post-Survey.

Written by Carol J. Mulvihill, R.N.,C., and Lydia P. Smith, Graduate Assistant/Health Educator, Student Health Services, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, PA 16701, March 1995.

Permission is hereby granted to reproduce these non-copyrighted materials for non-commercial use provided the author/s and source are credited.

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