Successes and Challenges of Disseminating Science-based Approaches to Teen Pregnancy Prevention


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

3250.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - Board 2

Abstract #105899

Forrest L. Alton, MSPH, CHES, Mary S. Prince, PhD, MPH, and Suzan Boyd, DrPH. South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 1511 Gregg St., Columbia, SC 29170, (803) 771-7700, falton@teenpregnancysc.org

Ninety-five percent of the over 9,500 teen pregnancies that occurred in South Carolina in 2003 were unintended. The short and long term public health consequences of teen pregnancy are well documented. In 1992, enabled by a three year grant from the CDC, the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy focused its education and technical assistance initiative on helping county-based teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) programs understand and adopt science-based approaches to TPP, including the use of research-proven curricula, the use of BDI Logic Models to plan and evaluate program efforts, and institutionalizing the practice of evaluation to measure outcomes and refine prevention efforts. The purpose of this presentation is report the results and lessons learned from the Campaign's three year strategy to build capacity at the local level for TPP.

Multiple evaluation approaches were used to measure adoption of SBAs over time. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA. Preliminary results show positive changes across all measures. In 2004, 95% of the 39 participating programs implemented at least one research-proven curriculum compared to 57% in 2003. Final evaluation results will be completed by Fall 2005.

Lessons learned from this project include discovering the importance of:1) using a multi-tiered educational approach to address the varied levels of the providers' ability); 2) building “in house” capacity to deliver effective training programs; 3) using multiple assessments and other evaluation methods to identify ongoing training needs; and 4) helping local programs identify and find solutions to barriers to using SBAs.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation the participants will be able to

Identify 4 strategies to disseminate science-based approaches for teen pregnancy prevention (TPP)
Articulate possible solutions to the many challenges school and community based programs face when adopting science-based approaches to TPP
Discuss how to use evaluation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of trainings and technical assistance to prevent teen pregnancy.

Keywords: Evidence Based Practice, Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Sexuality

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA