itMatters, a program designed to target the influence alcohol has on sexual behaviors and decrease sexually transmitted infections (STI) among first year college students, is launching its second optimization trial this fall with over 20,000 students.

One of the first web-based behavioral interventions to specifically target the intersection between alcohol use and sexual behaviors of college students, itMatters was developed using state-of-the-art methods to optimize program effect.

“This study has the potential to alter the way we think about preventing STIs on a college campus,” stated Dr. David Wyrick, Associate Professor of Public Health Education and Director of the Institute to Promote Athlete Health & Wellness at UNCG and one of the programs Principal Investigators.

Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the goal of itMatters is to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections among college students.