Four community organizations and a School of Public Health formed a coalition to partner with two Philadelphia Public High Schools and implement an after-school program for adolescent males. Funding was provided by the Philadelphia Coalitions for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, a community program supported by the Family Planning Council, through a grant from the CDC. The two pilot schools for this male-led, small-group intervention were predominately African/American and Hispanics. Objectives of the “Man-2-Man Program” were to: improve knowledge and attitudes regarding reproductive health (support abstinence, increase contraceptive use); improve utilization of primary care health and family planning services; and address family & cultural issues, personal values, life skills, fathering skills and self-sufficiency. Using a previously published curriculum on Fatherhood Development, there were 14 weekly, two-hour sessions led by adult male facilitators. Thirty-four students completed pre/post surveys to measure changes in the components of the curriculum. Process data were collected from debriefing sessions with facilitators and students. Quantitative results indicated statistically significant increases in knowledge about the developmental characteristics of infants. However, there was no association between the presence of a student’s father and his reported onset of sexual activity or juvenile delinquency. Qualitative data supported the importance of the small group format led by male facilitators that created bonds between facilitators and students. Facilitators, students and school administrators noted that the program addressed important issues and expressed a desire to both continue the program and ultimately incorporate it into the high schools’ health education curriculum.
Learning Objectives: 1) Identify health statistics of adolescent males related to high risk behaviors; 2) Describe adolescent male health needs as they perceive them; 3) Describe the importance of forming community coalitions that can partner with schools to address needs of urban youth; identify curriculum elements and teaching strategies relevant to urban adolescent males; 5) Describe evaluation design and results of pilot study.
Keywords: Coalition, Male Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.