What the CAB says goes: Using the nominal group process to develop a reproductive health education program for African American youth

Community-based participatory research (CBPR), by design, promotes active community involvement in the research process. It ensures that a substantial voice is given to the community of interest by encouraging full participation of community members and key stakeholders in project development. Although focus groups are primarily used to explore community members' thoughts on a particular topic, the nominal group technique (NGT) is a lesser used method that may prove more practical for eliciting a plan of action. NGT was employed in the formative phase of a CBPR project designed to develop a reproductive health education program for African-American (AA) high school youth in the southern U.S. A community advisory board (CAB) of 14 members was formed comprised of high school students, health educators, social workers, and other community stakeholders. The CAB developed reproductive health education priorities, identified potential barriers to employing the key program components, and brainstormed potential solutions to address these barriers. Programmatic components deemed essential by the CAB included candidly discussing sex with youth, encouraging personal responsibility, and promoting self-esteem. Potential barriers identified included media, parents, and pride. Methods identified for addressing the barriers included mentoring youth, being culturally sensitive in a racial and historical context, and admitting that the problems of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections exist in the AA community. The authors will present lessons learned from employing NGT, discuss results in the context of institutional borders, and discuss policy implications related to promoting reproductive health education in a high school setting in the southern U.S.