Michael Reece
Director of the Center for
Sexual Health Promotion

At the Trojan condom Web site, a pig morphs into a young man who holds up a placard reading "Evolve." Operation: Evolve was recently launched by the makers of Trojan brand condoms to improve America's sexual health.

"Evolve is a wake-up call to change attitudes about using condoms and, on a larger scale, the way we think and talk about sexual health in this country," says Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing for TROJAN(r) in a news release announcing the campaign. "Other than abstinence, the best way people can prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection is to use a condom every time they have sex. Unfortunately, that's just not happening today-single sexually active Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 use them only about 25 percent of the time. We urgently need to foster healthier attitudes about sexual health and condom use."

The urgent need for "evolution" in Americans' attitudes and understanding of sexual health is precisely why Church & Dwight, the company that manufactures Trojan brand condoms, has teamed up with Indiana University's Center for Sexual Health Promotion.

The Center for Sexual Health Promotion, a part of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at IU Bloomington, has entered into a unique 3-year agreement with Church & Dwight, one of the world's leading sexual health products companies. The agreement establishes the IU center as a strategic research, education, and consulting partner with Trojan.

"This partnership will address critical knowledge gaps in the manner in which individuals make healthy decisions once they decide to become sexually active," says Michael Reece, director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion.

Daniels, Trojan's vice president of marketing, says the range of expertise at the center will be beneficial as the company continues its efforts to develop high-quality products serving the sexual health of America. "We want to raise the bar on consumers' definitions of what it means to be sexually healthy and break down the barriers to condom acceptance and usage," he says.

Debby Herbenick
Associate Director of the
Center for Sexual Health Promotion

The new partnership will be headed by Reece and Debby Herbenick, associate director of the center. It also will involve IU researchers Stephanie Sanders, with the Kinsey Institute; Dennis Fortenberry, from the IU School of Medicine; Susan Middlestadt and Brian Dodge, from the Department of Applied Health Science; and Bryant Paul, from the Department of Telecommunications.

The collaboration will include a range of projects focused on understanding consumer behaviors and on the design of products, such as condoms, that sexually active individuals need to use consistently and correctly to best protect their health and the health of their partners. Specific projects are not completely determined, but Reece says among the first studies will be one to determine why people decide to use condoms.

Greater understanding of consumer demand and behavior for condoms can lead to more consistent use of condoms, Reece points out. In turn, more effective condom use could significantly reduce unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States.

For more information about the work of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion, visit their Web site at www.sexualhealth.indiana.edu. For more information about Church & Dwight or Trojan Brand Condoms, visit www.trojancondoms.com.