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

Abstract #120710

Tammi Fleming, Kingsley House, Health Care for All - New Orleans, 1600 Constance Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-523-6221, tfleming@ppv.org and kingsley House, NA, NA, New Orleans, LA NA.

Evaluation of the five year demonstration phase of the national Plain Talk / Hablando Claro (PT/HC) Program provides evidence that this culturally responsive-community change model achieved desired changes in parent-adults and adolescent communication as well as adolescent behavior that were significant. Implemented in five ethnically and culturally different (Atlanta, Hartford, New Orleans, Seattle and San Diego) communities across the United States, the PT/HC model rests on three core components (community mapping, adult community health messengers and adult education activities) that are replicated within the cultural context of different communities.

Results of pre-to-post analyses obtained in culturally different (African-American and Latino) communities will be presented as well as the behavioral changes achieved in each of those groups. Significant differences were found in behavioral changes across sites for adults, youth and communities in the areas of increased communication, improved adult and teen knowledge and attitudes re reproductive health, increased use of contraceptives and reduced teen pregnancy, STIs and HIV/AIDS. Specifically the evaluation demonstrated that teens, who communicated with their parents as part of the Plain Talk Initiative, were half as likely to become (or create a pregnancy) and half as likely to contract a STI when compared with their counterparts. Findings illustrate successful behavioral changes that resulted not only for African American and Latino communities from the early Plain Talk / Hablando Claro years which remain consistent during the current replication phase.

Learning Objectives: