ABAN AYA Youth Project: 5th Grade

Investigators: Brian Flay, DPhil, Sally Graumlich, EdD, CHES, & the ABAN AYA Team

ABAN AYA is an Afrocentric social development curriculum instructed over a four-year period, beginning in the fifth grade. The ABAN AYA 5th Grade product contains all of the materials needed to implement the ABAN AYA 5th grade curriculum. The ABAN AYA name is drawn from two Ghanaian words: ABAN (fence) signifies double/social protection; AYA (the unfurling fern) signifies self-determination. The purpose of ABAN AYA is to promote abstinence from sex, and to teach students how to avoid drugs and alcohol, and how to resolve conflicts non-violently. ABAN AYA was developed to address multiple problem behaviors such as violence, substance abuse, delinquency and sexual activity, simultaneously in a long-term intervention specifically for African American youths in grades five through eight. The longitudinal evaluation of the program involved 12 schools in the metropolitan Chicago area between 1994 and 1998. At baseline, 1153 fifth graders participated in the pencil-and-paper assessment. All participants were African American. Follow-up assessments were conducted at the conclusion of grades five through eight. At study conclusion, there were no significant intervention effects for girls. For boys, however, ABAN AYA significantly reduced the rate of increase in violent behavior (by 35% compared with controls), provoking behavior (41%) school delinquency (31%) drug use (32%), and recent sexual intercourse (44%). ABAN AYA also improved the rate of increase in condom use (95%) as compared to the health education control condition. Aban Aya is supported by the Office of Adolescent Health's Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program as an EBI that is medically accurate, age appropriate, and has proven through rigorous evaluation to prevent teen pregnancy and/or associated sexual risk behaviors. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Human Sexuality - Values & Choices: A Values-Based Curriculum for 7th and 8th Grades

Investigators: Search Institute

Developed for use in 7th and 8th grade classrooms, this program aims to reduce teenage pregnancy by promoting seven core values that support sexual abstinence and healthy social relationships: equality, self-control, promise-keeping, responsibility, respect, honesty, and social justice. The curriculum including 15 student lessons and 3 adult-only sessions is distinguished by: 1) an emphasis on parent-child communication; and 2) the use of a standardized, video-assisted format. Participants gain mastery through role plays, group discussions, and behavioral skills exercises. Following a field test in nine schools, program participants showed a greater understanding of the risks associated with early sexual involvement, and they expressed increased support for postponing sexual activity, as compared to a control group of their peers. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

ABAN AYA Youth Project: 8th Grade

Investigators: Brian Flay, DPhil, Sally Graumlich, EdD, CHES, & the ABAN AYA Team

ABAN AYA is an Afrocentric social development curriculum instructed over a four-year period, beginning in the fifth grade. The ABAN AYA 8th Grade product contains all of the materials needed to implement the ABAN AYA 8th grade curriculum. The ABAN AYA name is drawn from two Ghanaian words: ABAN (fence) signifies double/social protection; AYA (the unfurling fern) signifies self-determination. The purpose of ABAN AYA is to promote abstinence from sex, and to teach students how to avoid drugs and alcohol, and how to resolve conflicts non-violently. ABAN AYA was developed to address multiple problem behaviors such as violence, substance abuse, delinquency and sexual activity, simultaneously in a long-term intervention specifically for African American youths in grades five through eight. The longitudinal evaluation of the program involved 12 schools in the metropolitan Chicago area between 1994 and 1998. At baseline, 1153 fifth graders participated in the pencil-and-paper assessment. All participants were African American. Follow-up assessments were conducted at the conclusion of grades five through eight. At study conclusion, there were no significant intervention effects for girls. For boys, however, ABAN AYA significantly reduced the rate of increase in violent behavior (by 35% compared with controls), provoking behavior (41%) school delinquency (31%) drug use (32%), and recent sexual intercourse (44%). ABAN AYA also improved the rate of increase in condom use (95%) as compared to the health education control condition. Aban Aya is supported by the Office of Adolescent Health's Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program as an EBI that is medically accurate, age appropriate, and has proven through rigorous evaluation to prevent teen pregnancy and/or associated sexual risk behaviors. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

AIDS Risk Reduction Education and Skills Training Program (ARREST)

Investigators: Michele D. Kipke

Principles of the health belief model and social learning theory form the conceptual framework for this program, together with strategies previously found to be effective in changing such adolescent health-risk behaviors as cigarette smoking and early pregnancy. Originally designed for teens between 12 and 16 years of age, the intervention includes three 90-minute, small group sessions, in which participants receive five forms of assistance: (1) information about the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS; (2) instruction in purchasing and using condoms with spermicide; (3) guidance in self-assessment of risk behaviors; (4) training in decision-making, communication, and assertiveness skills; and (5) peer group support for HIV/AIDS prevention and risk reduction. In addition to lectures and modeling by instructors, teens complete role plays, skill-building exercises, and homework activities. A field study of the program was conducted with 87 African-American and Latino youths, who were recruited from three New York City community-based organizations providing alternative education and after-school programs for high-risk teens. Comparing four week follow-up measures of program participants with a control group of peers, participants showed significant gains in knowledge and attitudes about AIDS, as well as in sexual refusal and negotiation skills. However, no differences were found between the groups' risk-related sexual behaviors. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Teen Health Project (THP): Community-Level HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in Low Income Housing Development

Investigators: Kathleen J. Sikkema, Jeffrey A. Kelly & the Teen Health Project Team

TEEN HEALTH PROJECT was developed for adolescents ages 12 to 17 living in low-income housing developments. The purpose of the evaluation study was to determine whether the effects of a community-level HIV risk reduction intervention would be stronger when the intervention targeted change in individual-level risk reduction as well as change in the social and peer normative environment. Participants (n = 1,172) were recruited from 15 housing developments. Developments were randomly assigned to the community-level intervention (5 developments), workshop-only (5 developments), or a control condition (5 developments). Assessments were conducted at baseline, approximately 3 months after completion of the educational sessions, and again approximately 18 months after baseline. At long-term follow-up, adolescents living in the community-level developments were more likely to have remained abstinent than their control group peers (t(1, 10) = 2.22, Phere to view more detailed information on this program.

Computer-Assisted Motivational Interviewing (CAMI): Preventing Repeat Births Among Adolescent Mothers

Investigators: Beth Barnet, Jiexin Liu, Margo DeVoe, Anne K. Duggan, Melanie A. Gold, & Edward Pecukonis

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, more than 360,000 infants were born to women aged 15 to 19 years in the United States. Nearly one-quarter of adolescent mothers give birth to another child within two years, despite national efforts to increase timing between births. Adolescent mothers who give birth to more than one child may be at high risk for experiencing poorer medical, educational, economic, and developmental outcomes. The purpose of the Computer-Assisted Motivational Interviewing (CAMI) is to increase motivation among adolescent mothers to consistently use condoms and contraception with the long-term goal of reducing rapid repeat births. CAMI consists of at least two 60-minute sessions conducted in two-parts by trained counselors who meet one-on-one with pregnant and/or parenting adolescent mothers, ages 12 through 18 years old. During the first part of each session, participants use the computer-based CAMI Program to answer questions about current sexual relationships and contraceptive use intentions and behaviors. Based on the responses generated, CAMI counselors conduct a stage-matched motivational interviewing session to enhance participants' motivation to consistently use condoms and contraception in order to reduce the risk for a repeat pregnancy. An evaluation of CAMI has demonstrated that receiving two or more CAMI sessions, either alone or within a multi-component home-based intervention, reduced the risk of repeat births among adolescent mothers aged 18 years and younger. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

ABAN AYA Youth Project: 7th Grade

Investigators: Brian Flay, DPhil, Sally Graumlich, EdD, CHES, & the ABAN AYA Team

ABAN AYA is an Afrocentric social development curriculum instructed over a four-year period, beginning in the fifth grade. The ABAN AYA 7th Grade product contains all of the materials needed to implement the ABAN AYA 7th grade curriculum. The ABAN AYA name is drawn from two Ghanaian words: ABAN (fence) signifies double/social protection; AYA (the unfurling fern) signifies self-determination. The purpose of ABAN AYA is to promote abstinence from sex, and to teach students how to avoid drugs and alcohol, and how to resolve conflicts non-violently. ABAN AYA was developed to address multiple problem behaviors such as violence, substance abuse, delinquency and sexual activity, simultaneously in a long-term intervention specifically for African American youths in grades five through eight. The longitudinal evaluation of the program involved 12 schools in the metropolitan Chicago area between 1994 and 1998. At baseline, 1153 fifth graders participated in the pencil-and-paper assessment. All participants were African American. Follow-up assessments were conducted at the conclusion of grades five through eight. At study conclusion, there were no significant intervention effects for girls. For boys, however, ABAN AYA significantly reduced the rate of increase in violent behavior (by 35% compared with controls), provoking behavior (41%) school delinquency (31%) drug use (32%), and recent sexual intercourse (44%). ABAN AYA also improved the rate of increase in condom use (95%) as compared to the health education control condition. Aban Aya is supported by the Office of Adolescent Health's Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program as an EBI that is medically accurate, age appropriate, and has proven through rigorous evaluation to prevent teen pregnancy and/or associated sexual risk behaviors. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Sexual Health and Adolescent Risk Prevention (SHARP)

Investigators: Angela D. Bryan, PhD, Sarah J. Schmiege, PhD, & Michelle R. Broaddus, PhD

Adolescents in general are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Even higher rates of STIs have been observed among youth involved with the criminal justice system. Typically, these adolescents are younger at first intercourse, have a higher number of sexual partners, and report lower rates of condom use than their peers. Despite the fact that these adolescents are at greater risk for HIV/STIs, few prevention interventions have been developed for them. In addition, few interventions for adolescents target both substance use and sexual risk reduction. SEXUAL HEALTH AND ADOLESCENT RISK PREVENTION (SHARP) aims to fill these gaps. SHARP is an intensive, interactive single-session (divided into five sections) intervention lasting 3-4 hours that incorporates videos, lecture, group discussion and activities. The groups are organized by gender, either all male or all female, with no more than 10 per session (but on average, the ideal number per session is between 3-5 participants per session). Overall SHARP program goals are to deepen STI/HIV knowledge, improve correct condom use, reduce sexual risks and alcohol use and set long-term goals to utilize knowledge and skills learned during the session. SHARP was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial with three group-based conditions. These three conditions were HIV information only (control group); SHARP program (intervention group) and SHARP + motivational enhancement therapy (enhanced intervention group). The study was conducted over a 12 month period, with data collected in 5 waves (baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months). The enhanced intervention condition (SHARP + Motivational Enhancement Therapy) was statistically different and more significant than the control condition (HIV Information only). Any decrease in alcohol problems over time was statistically significant in the SHARP condition and the SHARP + Motivational Enhancement Therapy, when compared to HIV Information only. SHARP is supported by the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH)'s Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program as an EBI that is medically accurate, age appropriate, and has proven through rigorous evaluation to prevent teen pregnancy and/or associated sexual risk behaviors. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Adolescents Living Safely: AIDS Awareness, Attitudes and Actions

Investigators: Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Ph.D., Sutherland Miller, Ph.D., Cheryl Koopman, Ph.D., Clara Haignere, Ph.D. & Calvin Selfridge

To meet the comprehensive needs of runaway youths between 11 and 18 years of age, this program combines 20 small group discussion sessions with case management and private counseling. The group sessions provide general instruction about HIV/AIDS through video and art workshops in which youth create their own educational materials and review commercially available videos. Participants also receive behavioral and cognitive skills training for coping with high-risk situations. The case management and counseling components are designed to identify individual needs and provide youth with appropriate services (e.g., legal, medical, vocational). A field study of the program was conducted at two urban shelters serving predominantly African-American runaways. The sessions were held over a three week period, but youth joined the program at various points, and their levels of participation varied. For runaways who attended at least fifteen sessions, the high-risk pattern of sexual behavior dropped in frequency from 20% to zero over a six-month period. At the two-year follow-up assessment, program effects remained strongest for male and African-American participants. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Adolescents Living Safely: AIDS Awareness, Attitudes and Actions for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Teens

Investigators: Sutherland Miller, Joyce Hunter, M.S.W., & Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Ph.D.

Designed to provide education, social and medical services, and peer support to gay,lesbian and bisexual youths between 14 and 19 years of age, this program combines case management, comprehensive health care, and risk assessment counseling with small group discussion sessions. During the group sessions, transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS are investigated through workshops in which youth create their own educational materials. Participants also receive behavioral and cognitive skills training for coping with high-risk situations. The case management and counseling components are designed to identify individual needs and provide youth with appropriate services (e.g., legal, medical, vocational). A field study of the intervention was initiated with 138 males at a community-based agency serving gay youth in New York City. The impact of the program was found to vary over time and across racial/ethnic groups. African-American and white teens showed a significant decrease in unprotected anal intercourse at the three-month follow-up assessment; at six months the decrease was recorded only among whites. On measures of unprotected oral intercourse, white and Hispanic youths engaged in fewer risk acts through the twelve-month assessment; for African-Americans, the decrease was maintained only until six months following the intervention. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.