Adaptation guidelines for adolescent pregnancy and STD/HIV prevention programs

Approximately 800,000 adolescents will become pregnant this year in the United States. Although teen pregnancy rates are declining, significant racial/ethnic disparities remain. Science-based approaches to prevent teen pregnancy include implementing sex education curricula that have been rigorously evaluated and proven to be effective at reducing adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviors. Although close to two dozen of these science-based programs (SBP) exist, service providers note that a key barrier to using them is the need to adapt them to meet the unique characteristics of youth in other settings and the organizations that serve them. Adaptation guidelines and tools are needed to support service providers in making these adaptations.

In this presentation we will define adaptation, discuss reasons for adaptation and present the adaptation guidelines and tools. The purpose of the adaptation guidelines is to guide practitioners through a systematic process to select an appropriate adolescent pregnancy prevention program for their priority population and make adaptations while maintaining fidelity to the program's core components. The guidelines address various reasons for adaptation and reach the needs of organizations and practitioners with varying levels of resources, time, and skills. In addition to these guidelines, the following tools will be developed for multiple SBP in conjunction with the curricula developers: logic models that identify the link between curriculum activities and health goals; descriptions of the curriculum's core content, pedagogical and implementation components; and identification of “green,” “yellow” and “red” light adaptations. Training and technical assistance will be provided to support practitioners in using these resources.