PEAK (Peers Encouraging Abstinent Kids) is an abstinence-only teen pregnancy program targeting sixth and/or seventh graders. PEAK is adapted from PSI (Postponing Sexual Involvement). The goal of PEAK is to reduce the number of teen pregnancies by reaching kids before they become sexually active. Trained high school mentors teach middle-school students five lessons based on the risks of early sexual involvement, social pressure, peer pressure, assertiveness and a final skills application session. Preliminary findings indicate that after the program more students felt "It is not OK to have sex before marriage", "Abstinence is the only 100% sure way to avoid getting pregnant", and they were less likely to think it was OK to have sex because their friends were doing it. The classroom teachers indicated that the PEAK skill-based material should be fully integrated into the middle school curriculum. Over 90% of the middle school students wanted to be PEAK mentors when they reached high school. The mentors felt they “made a difference” to the students they taught. The mentors thought the experience helped them develop leadership skills, it helped them feel better about themselves and their capabilities and it showed them that they could make a difference in their community.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to describe the PEAK program. Participants will be able to explain the problems associated with implementation of the PEAK program in a middle school setting.
Keywords: Sexuality, School 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.