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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Stacey Plichta, ScD¹, Jewel S. Goodman, MPA, PhD(c)², Koren Goodman, MSEd³, Kimberly Adams-Tufts, ND, WHNP, FAAN⁴, and Mary Ann Notarianni⁴. (1) School of Community Health Professions, Old Dominion University, College of Health Sciences, Norfolk, VA 23529, 757-683-4989, splichta@odu.edu, (2) College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Technology Building, Norfolk, VA 23502, (3) Career Management Center, Old Dominion University, Room 133 Oceanography/Physics Building, Norfolk, VA 23529, (4) School of Nursing, Old Dominion University, 2123 Hughes Hall, Norfolk, VA 23529

This study seeks to explore the challenges in conducting pregnancy prevention activities with girls who live in high risk urban areas. 115 girls were recruited from inner-city community centers in a Southern city to participate in a multi-session pregnancy prevention program. Permission to attend was provided by parents/guardians. All participants were African-American, the mean age was 12.9 years (range 10-18 years)and 57% reside with their mother only (25% reside with both parents, 5% reside part-time with each parent and 13% reside with someone else). About half (52%) were in the 6th grade or lower; 51% reported getting mostly C's in school and 9% reported D's or failing. At baseline, 17% had prior sexual intercourse, 3% reported prior oral sex, 10% had been forced to have sex at least once and 8% had experienced dating violence in the past year. The pretest knowledge of pregnancy and STD prevention was poor (mean score on a knowledge quiz was 47%), a substantial minority (29%) had low self-esteem, but most (80-85%) felt they had the confidence to avoid intimate situations and to tell a partner 'no'. Challenges to program implementation included a low level of knowledge and lower literacy. One strength of this approach is that only a minority of the girls had initiated sexual activity. Programs need to address issues of violence. Further, they should build on the girls' confidence and help them to increase their knowledge and self-esteem through an interactive approach that is not literacy dependent.

Learning Objectives: Session participants will be able to

• Discuss the challenges of conducting pregnancy prevention programs with girls in high risk urban neighborhoods.
• Describe the usefulness of a small group educational approach based on the BART (Be a Responsible Teen) curriculum in working with urban girls.
• Articulate the risks that urban youth

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Sexuality

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered