Comprehensive sexual health education for youth in northern New Jersey

Background: The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey (Partnership) is a non-profit organization licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) to improve the health of women, children and families at the local, regional and state-wide level.

The Partnership's Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), funded by NJDOH, is part of a federal initiative to reduce teenage pregnancy and STI rates amongst youth between the ages of 10-19 years.

Method: The Partnership's PREP implements Making Proud Choices!, an 8-module, evidence-based curriculum , in schools community-based settings and drug rehabilitation programs, in 8 municipalities in Northern NJ: Englewood, East Orange, Orange, Irvington, Passaic, Paterson, Newark and Jersey City.

The evaluation plan includes a pre- and post-test that helps to collect baseline and post-intervention data. The evaluation tools were an adaptation of the curriculum's questionnaires. The evaluation surveys measure change in knowledge, attitude and behavior about sexual activities, pregnancy, HIV and other STIs.

Results: Data reveals that the participants increased knowledge and improved attitudes and behaviors surrounding sexual health, STIs and HIV/AIDS. Results show that there has been more than a 15% increase in participants' intention to either delay initiation of sex or engage less frequently in sexual activity. There was also over a 50% increase in knowledge about STIs, HIV/AIDS and contraceptive methods. Conclusion: The first quarter results show that the intervention is successful in reducing sexual risk by improving the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of teens and preteens about reproductive health.