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

Abstract #116665

Christine M. Markham, PhD¹, Leah Robin, PhD², Melanie Thiel, BA¹, Kiara Spooner, DrPh¹, Nicole McKirahan, MPH³, Melissa Fleschler, PhD¹, Ross Shegog, PhD⁴, S. Liliana Escobar-Chaves, DrPH⁵, and Susan Tortolero, PhD⁶. (1) Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston, 7000 Fannin, 26th floor, Houston, TX 77030, 713 500 9646, cmarkham@sph.uth.tmc.edu, (2) Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K-33, Atlanta, GA 30341, (3) School of Public Health/ Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas-Houston, 7000 Fannin, 26th Floor, Houston, TX 77030, (4) Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, UT-Houston School of Public Health, 7000 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, (5) Center for Health Promotion Research and Development, University of Texas-Houston, 7000 Fannin, 26th floor, Houston, TX 77030, (6) Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas - Houston, 7000 Fannin, Ste 2622, Houston, TX 77030

Background: Since the 1990s, major legislative initiatives have funded both abstinence education and comprehensive sexuality programs to prevent adolescent HIV, STI, and pregnancy. The efficacy of both kinds of programs and their role in the decrease in adolescent sexual risk behaviors has been debated. Further studies are necessary to identify common elements of effective programs and to examine the relative efficacy of these approaches. Methods: This presentation will describe the development of two curricula - an abstinence education and a comprehensive sexuality curriculum - that are comparable in duration, delivery and theory base. These two curricula are based on an existing comprehensive sexuality program, It's Your Game, Keep It Real. The development process includes: (1) review of existing abstinence education curricula; (2) content analysis of It's Your Game, Keep It Real; (3) determination of “core” elements, concepts, and related activities for both interventions; (4) input from a broad array of researchers, program developers and implementers; and (5) gathering community input through parent and adolescent focus groups and interviews with school district personnel. Results: Several lessons have been learned during this process: (1) collaboration with researchers, program developers and program implementers is critical, from validating core elements of each intervention to defining methods and strategies for intervention; (2) community input is important to tailor the interventions to local needs and concerns; (3) several dimensions of comparability are important to consider, including content, methods, duration, and delivery.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to

(
• describe steps for developing a sexuality curriculum using empirical evidence, community and expert input; (
• describe common elements of effective sexuality curricula.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, School-Based Programs

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.