 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Dennis Mc Bride, PhD, Curt Malloy, MPH, Philip Noyes, MPH, MA, and Morgan Wear. The Washington Institute, University of Washington, 9601 Steilacoom Boulevard S.W., Tacoma, WA 98498, 253-756-2335, dmcb@u.washington.edu
In response to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, The Washington State Department of Health funded seven Abstinence Education projects in Washington State. Projects funded were in five middle schools and two high schools. The curricula offered in the seven programs were similar and included: (1) education and skills building activities; (2) media literacy; (3) media campaigns; (4) mentoring; and (5) social and recreational activities. Recognizing that there is little evidence to determine the effectiveness of abstinence-only approaches, funds were allocated in Washington State for an impact evaluation. Evaluation activities for the projects began in April 1998. Drawing on five years of evaluation research, this presentation reports findings from the evaluation of six of the projects. Included is a discussion of the projects, evaluation designs and results, and methodological issues. The evaluation includes 1,097 adolescents in treatment programs and 599 in comparison groups across the six projects. A matched comparison group design is used to investigate: (1) sexual behavior intent; (2) attitudes toward sex and dating; (3) educational and professional aspirations; and (4) substance use. Preliminary findings show substantial evidence of program effects on attitudes toward sex and dating, and some evidence of program effects on sexual behavior intent.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Adolescent Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.