Impact of the Positive Prevention Plus Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

In 2010, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office and California State University, San Bernardino received a grant from the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS), Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) to evaluate the Positive Prevention Plus program. Positive Prevention Plus is based on Social Cognitive Theory and consists of eleven 45-minute lessons intended to be taught by classroom teachers. Project staff provided teachers with a two-day, in-person training plus a one-day supplemental online training on curriculum content and delivery.

A clustered randomized control trial (RCT) using ethnically-diverse school sites was used to examine program impacts. School sites (n=23) were then randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. Participants in both groups completed baseline, 6 month, and 1 year follow-up surveys measuring sexual behaviors and psychosocial factors associated with abstinence and contraceptive use. Additionally, innovative measures of implementation fidelity including dosage, lesson quality, adaptation, and participant responsiveness were obtained through lesson observations and facilitator surveys. Data were pooled across all participating school sites to create an analytical sample of all students in all school sites that have parental consent and provide data at baseline, six month, and 1 year follow-up data. This study used both logistic regression and multiple linear regression models to examine the effect of the program on initiation of sexual activity, ever been pregnant, and use of birth control Recommendations for teen pregnancy prevention practice and research will be offered.