Since 1991, youth prevention services at an urban community health center have been supported by a mix of substance abuse and HIV prevention funding. Services supported include street outreach, on-site family planning and health education, mentoring, baby sitting training, and health and sexuality education in local middle schools. In 1997, the Positive Action Program, with 4 full and part-time outreach educators, began developing a curriculum based on segments of a Life Skills curriculum (Botvin) shown to be effective as a substance abuse prevention tool for middle adolescents. The realities of the needs and constraints of local public schools and CBO's, and the input of our staff and peer leaders led to substantial shortening of the curriculum, and modification of content. For the past two years, up to 150 students weekly have participated in 10-20 week (one hour per week) life skills training in three local middle schools, as well as diverse after-school programs. We describe the development of theory-based outcome objectives, the process of curriculum modification, and the implementation of an pre and post-test tool and evaluation design on a shoestring budget. An tool measuring attitudes towards substance use, and decision-making skills was developed from existing instruments in the literature, and analysis of two years' data is presented. By avoiding tools assessing actual behaviors, we avoided some of the constraints of the PPRA. This paper will demonstrate ways of using diverse funding streams to support a holistic science-based approach to primary prevention in young adolescents.
Learning Objectives: After attending this session (or poster), the participant will be able to: 1. Recognize the role of partnerships between schools or after school programs and community health centers implementing prevention interventions. 2. Utilize 10-20 week modifications of a science-based life skills curriculum in diverse settings reaching adolescents in middle schools and/or after school programs. 3. Articulate, apply and assess theory-based program outcome objectives and an evaluation plan within the constraints of limited funding, the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), and the realities of the population served
Keywords: Adolescents, School-Based Programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Martha Eliot Health Center,
a Neighborhood Health Service of,
Children's Hospital, Boston
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.