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

Abstract #71962

Pat W. Mosena, PhD, Director, Peer Advocates for Health, 5646 Kimbark, Chicago, IL 60637, 773-288-1682, mosena@aol.com, Janice Ely, RNC, BSN, MPH, Director, Office of Population Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Region V, 233 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601, and Suzanne M. Elder, MPP, Research Associate, Peer Advocates for Health, 4711 N. Winthrop, Chicago, IL 60640.

This paper describes Peer Advocates for Health (PAH), a DHHS, Region V, Office of Family Planning demonstration project designed to: 1) improve reproductive health knowledge; 2) increase healthy lifestyle choices, and 3) increase access to family planning clinic services for adolescent males. | PAH targets adolescent males, ages 14-18, living on Chicago’s south side. The mean age of PAH program participants is 15.5 years and nearly one-third (31%) of these young men have never had sex. Most of the young men participating in PAH live in neighborhoods with long histories of deprivation and currently high rates of unemployment, gang violence, teenage pregnancy and STDs, including HIV/AIDS. | The PAH program model is designed to provide rigorous reproductive health training and long-term individual and group support to program participants. After participants complete six months of training, they are employed as Peer Advocates to make formal school and community group presentations and speak informally with their friends about adolescent reproductive health issues. In 2002 alone, 20 Peer Advocates reached 1,386 other adolescents in their communities. | This paper discusses the strengths of the PAH program model and barriers to implementation. Significant gains in reproductive health knowledge (32% correct pretest, 80% post-test for 2002 participants) and increased frequency of communication by PAH program participants with their parents, peers and partners are also presented.

Learning Objectives:

Participants in this session will be able to:
• Describe a community-based program model designed to improve reproductive health knowledge and lifestyle choices among adolescent males living in inner-city neighborhoods.
• Examine changes in contraceptive knowledge among African American adolescent male program participants.
• List strengths of an intensive training model for improving participant knowledge and community outreach efforts among adolescent males.

Keywords: Adolescents, Male Reproductive 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.