The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #48676

Nancy Goldfarb, MSW¹, Virginia McCarter, PhD¹, Helen Cagampang, PhD¹, Claire Brindis, DrPH¹, and Kathryn Shack, PhD, MPH². (1) Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, University of California at San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 265, San Francisco, CA 94143-0936, 415-476-6594, nlgold@itsa.ucsf.edu, (2) Office of Family Planning, Office of Community Challenge Grants, 714 P Street, Room 576, Sacramento, CA 95814

Introduction: In 1999, through a statewide competitive process, the California Department of Health Services funded 134 Community Challenge Grant (CCG) projects (two of which were eventually de-funded) to reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies, increase fathers’ involvement, and promote responsible parenting.

Objective: This study develops a strong conceptual model of the CCG collaborative experience in promoting teen pregnancy prevention.

Methodology: In January 2001, UCSF mailed multiple copies of a Collaborative Survey to the 132 CCG Lead Agencies. Of the 132 Lead Agencies, 99 returned a total of 460 surveys. Closed-response questions included respondents’ demographics, job titles, composition of their collaboratives, and perceived community support and collaborative effectiveness. Narrative questions included accomplishments, collaborative influences on local teen pregnancy prevention efforts, racial/ethnic diversity, teen involvement, challenges, and suggestions for greater collaborative effectiveness.

Results: Diverse memberships can be a collaborative strength even as it creates challenges for people learning to work together across disciplines, institutional boundaries, and personal cultures. While some collaboratives were already establishing and institutionalizing their work, others were still in the early stages of building a working relationship. Those collaboratives whose members felt that they were functioning effectively had incorporated written mission statements and bylaws, involved teens and parents in the collaborative process, and emphasized teen empowerment.

Conclusions: Although the causal direction cannot be established here, the Collaborative Survey showed that those collaboratives whose members felt that they were functioning effectively had incorporated written mission statements and bylaws, involved teens and parents in the collaborative process, and emphasized teen empowerment.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

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• Identify the commonalities within those collaboratives whose members felt they were doing effective work together. (
• Explore the perceived advantages and challenges of the collaborative experience. (
• Discuss the implications of these results on future collaborative efforts.

Keywords: Collaboration, Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Office of Family Planning, Office of Community Challenge Grants, and select grantees (none of whom will be individually identified).
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: CCG Evaluator