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Comparing School‐Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programming: Mixed Outcomes in an At‐Risk State
Author(s) -
Oman Roy F.,
Merritt Breanca T.,
Fluhr Janene,
Williams Jean M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12343
Subject(s) - abstinence , psychological intervention , intervention (counseling) , medicine , odds , sexual abstinence , human sexuality , logistic regression , clinical psychology , family medicine , psychology , family planning , psychiatry , environmental health , population , gender studies , sociology , research methodology
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of a national comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention ( TPP ) intervention to a national abstinence‐only TPP intervention on middle school students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to teen sexual behaviors in a state with high teen birth rates.METHODS Pre‐ and post‐intervention data were collected annually (2005‐2010) from seventh‐grade students to evaluate school‐based TPP programs that implemented a comprehensive (N = 3244) or abstinence‐only (N = 3172) intervention. Chi‐square and t tests, logistic regressions, and hierarchical multiple regressions examined relationships between sexuality‐related behavioral intentions, knowledge, and attitudes.RESULTS Students in both interventions reported significant (p < .05) improvements post‐intervention. Youth in the comprehensive TPP intervention were more likely (p < .05) to have significantly improved their attitudes (odds ratios [ ORs ] = 1.35, 1.83, 1.23) and behavior regarding abstinence decisions in the past 3 months ( OR = 1.39). The interventions' improvements in attitudes were more explanatory for behavioral intentions for students in the abstinence‐only intervention than for students in the comprehensive TPP intervention.CONCLUSIONS The mixed results suggest the comprehensive TPP intervention was only slightly more effective than the abstinence intervention, but that changing student attitudes and perceptions may be a key component of more effective TPP interventions.