Adapting a pregnancy prevention curriculum for Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations

Hawaii's ethnic distribution is very different than any other state. Half of the population is Asian and 15% are Native Hawaiian. Hawaii has the largest percentage of residents of mixed race of any U.S. state and 72% of the state's children are classified as minority. Hawaii's ethnic mix and island geography have created a unique culture, and materials developed for other cultures are often not effective there. When Hawaii's teens view these materials, they see young people who do not look or speak like they do, in unfamiliar settings. One barrier to the adoption of science-based curricula is lack of cultural competency in available materials. Hawaii Youth Services Network is working with members of Healthy Youth Hawaii, a teen pregnancy leadership team, to select and adapt science-based teen pregnancy and STI prevention curricula for use in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, including development of locally-produced, culturally competent audiovisual materials. Presenters will discuss why Making Proud Choices has become the most widely used of the science-based curricula, and the challenges of making adaptations for school and community-based settings. Hawaii Youth Services Network staff will describe training and technical support provided to users from initial selection through adaptation, implementation, and evaluation. A locally-produced video, You Cannot Get HIV LiDat, will be shown, and presenters will discuss their collaboration with Hawaii Student Television. The project evaluator will share results from baseline, end-of-program, and 3-month follow-up tests of MPC participants, which demonstrate significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and intentions related to condom use.