Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #101244

Danielle Elizabeth Ruedt, MPH and Georgina Osaretin Iyamu, MPH. Children and Youth Coordinating Council, 3408 Covington Highway, 4th Floor, Decatur, GA 30032, 404-508-6584, DanielleRuedt@cycc.state.ga.us

Abstinence education has become and still remains a highly controversial debate since Congress established a formula grant program in 1996 under Title V, Section 510, of the Social Security Act. The grant program provides $50 million annually to states that teach abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for school-aged children. The question remains: Are abstinence education programs effective in persuading youth to be sexually abstinent? In Georgia, Title V, Section 510 abstinence education funds are granted to organizations that provide abstinence education in a structured, intense youth development model. In 2004, the Children and Youth Coordinating Council in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Human Resources and MGT America developed a scorecard system to monitor program performance as well as compare program structure to outcome measures. The nine performance categories include essential program criteria and program enhancements. The scores are then tabulated and programs are rated on a 5-point scale. This scorecard evaluation system is not just limited to abstinence education programs and can be easily adapted to any type of program.

Learning Objectives: