The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #60867

Jena Bauman Adams, MPH¹, Rebecca L. Weiker, MPH², and Susan J. Rabinovitz, RN, MPH¹. (1) Division of Adolescent Medicine, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, PO Box 54700, MS #2, Los Angeles, CA 90054, (323)669-2503, jbauman@chla.usc.edu, (2) Consultant, Los Angeles, CA 90027

In this urban Los Angeles community, several clinics offer contraceptives and family planning services for teens. However, whether teens use clinic services or not depends on many factors—including the “teen-friendliness” of services. What does a teen experience while making or keeping a family planning appointment at a clinic? Which experiences encourage or discourage teens to begin or continue using services? This community-based teen pregnancy prevention project actively involved 38 “undercover” teens as consumers and evaluators to assess reproductive health services at six local family planning clinics, including two school-based clinics. A steering committee of administrators, medical providers and youth from each clinic was convened to oversee the project and to provide technical assistance and guidance for selecting evaluation criteria, ensuring the anonymity of “undercover” teens, and pilot testing and implementing the assessment. “Undercover” teens made 210 phone calls to the clinics and conducted 11 scouting visits and 17 family planning appointments at clinic sites. They completed questionnaires and recorded their personal observations and feelings after each contact. In addition, the teens participated in focus groups and completed a final survey about their “undercover” experience. Based on the assessment results, the participating clinics identified goals for teen-friendly improvements and began implementing changes. The project steering committee formulated goals for a second year of collaboration to improve family planning services for teens. And, as a result of their involvement, the “undercover” teens reported increased comfort utilizing clinic family planning services and sharing information about contraceptives and clinics with their peers.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants in the session will be able to:
• Discuss characteristics of teen-friendly family planning services;
• Describe a model for conducting a teen-friendly clinic assessment that actively involves teens;
• Apply sample evaluation tools to plan a teen-friendly clinic assessment;
• Utilize lessons learned from teens to plan or improve family planning services.

Keywords: Family Planning, Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Philliber Research Associates, Inc. Cornerstone Consulting Group, Inc.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.