A Health Care Program for First-Time Adolescent Mothers and their Infants

Investigators: Ann L. O'Sullivan

Originally designed for low-income, unwed teens under 17 years of age, this clinic-based program aims to help first-time mothers prevent repeat pregnancies, return to school, improve immunization rates for their infants, and reduce their use of hospital emergency room services for routine infant care. Several services are offered in the context of a teen baby clinic, including: (1) well-baby care at 2 weeks, and at months 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18; (2) discussion of family planning and referral to a birth control clinic; (3) instruction on parenting skills with a social worker; and (4) informal parenting education through videotapes, slides, and discussions with a nurse practitioner or trained volunteer. A field study and 18-month follow-up assessment of the intervention were conducted with 243 African-American mothers at an urban teaching hospital. Compared to a control group of teens receiving routine well-baby care, program participants experienced significantly fewer repeat pregnancies (12% vs. 28%), reduced their use of the emergency room for routine care, and were more likely to obtain full immunization for their newborns. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

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.

ABAN AYA Youth Project: 6th 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 6th Grade product contains all of the materials needed to implement the ABAN AYA 6th 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.

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.

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.

Adolescent Decision-Making and Contraceptive Behavior: San Francisco, 1984-1986

Investigators: Nancy E. Adler, Susan M. Kegeles, & Charles E. Irwin, Jr.

This study examined adolescents' decision-making regarding contraceptive use and its relation to their contraceptive and reproductive intentions and actual behavior. The four contraceptive methods most commonly used by adolescents were examined: the pill, diaphragm, condom, and withdrawal. The research used an expended version of the theory of reasoned action. The main hypothesis was that adolescents would engage in active decision-making. It was predicted that adolescents would act rationally and that their contraceptive intentions would follow from their beliefs, values, and perceptions of social norms surrounding the use of contraceptives. Measures included self reports of sexual behavior (e.g., number of partners, frequency of intercourse), contraceptive behavior, prior use of contraception, prior sexual behavior, pregnancy, assessment of decision processes relating to contraceptive use, beliefs and attitudes about and evaluation of the consequences of using contraception, perceptions of the wishes of others regarding the use of contraception, motivation to comply with the wishes of others concerning contraception, views of general social expectations regarding use of contraceptives, and intention to use contraceptives.

Adolescent Sexual Health Resources

Investigators: Sociometrics Corporation

This product consists of 5 resources: (1) 188 Facts About Teen Sex, Contraception, Pregnancy, Parenting, and Sexually Transmitted Infections. This handbook offers an accessible, reliable source of science-based facts on teen sex, contraception, pregnancy, parenthood, and sexually transmitted infections. (2) The Complete HIV/AIDS Teaching Kit. In a concise and convenient format The Complete HIV/AIDS Teaching Kit provides a multidisciplinary approach to teaching the biomedical, social, psychological, and behavioral aspects of HIV transmission, prevention and treatment-offering readers a full understanding of the disease. (3) Adolescent Sexual Health Education: An Activity Sourcebook. This sourcebook contains more than sixty ready-to-use activities to help practitioners educate teens about pregnancy and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention. (4) Model Programs for Adolescent Sexual Health. This is a directory of the most promising and proven effective sexual education and prevention programs in the United States. (5) Assessing Your Community's Needs and Assets: A Collaborative Approach to Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. This guide will assist you in planning your needs assessment and evaluating the potential intervention strategies for your adolescent pregnancy prevention program.

Adolescent Women's Contraceptive Decision-Making Project, Baltimore City, 1988

Investigators: Carol Weisman & Stacey Plichta

This study explores the use of contraceptives among adolescent women. The objective of this longitudinal study was to determine whether consistency of contraceptive use is associated with the young woman's social network (family, friends, and sexual partners) and their attitudes towards pregnancy and contraception. Respondents were surveyed at three points in time: At baseline, at 3 months, and at 6 months. A total of 430 cases and 2,678 variables are included in this study. Other topics in the study include: demographics (household characteristics/composition, race, education, employment, religion, etc.); contraceptive behavior; and attitudes toward pregnancy and contraception.

Adolescents and Their Exposure to TV and Movie Sex, 1985

Investigators: Bradley S. Greenberg

The focus of the Adolescents and Their Exposure to TV and Movie Sex, 1985 study was to identify and examine the characteristics of adolescents which are associated with their media experience. Four groups of predictor variables were central to the project: demographic variables, family structure variables, self and social perceptions, and mediation variables. Data for this project were collected in the spring of 1985 through questionnaires. This study includes 376 variables for 1,462 adolescents aged 13-19. Students were asked to complete questionnaires that contained items pertaining to (1) media use patterns, (2) family characteristics, (3) mediation practices of parents, and (4) attitudes toward dating and sex roles. Following completion of the project, the 19 most frequently watched television programs (daytime and primetime) and 16 commercial movies were content analyzed to determine the adolescents' "diet" of media sex.

Alabama Adolescent Health Survey, 1993

Investigators: Steve Nagy

The 1993 Alabama Adolescent Health Survey was a modified version of the National Student Health Survey. Alabama Adolescents in grades 8 and 10 were surveyed in February and March. The survey included the following sections: demographic characteristics, exercise patterns, violence, sexual activity and abuse history, attitudes toward sexuality, attitudes toward education, time use patterns, health care history, mental health and suicide, assistance behavior, nutrition, substance use, and knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This data set contains 115 variables and 6,268 cases.