Oral

This oral session addresses some of the critical realities of working in adolescent pregnancy prevention: adapting evidence-based programs to increase relevance with local populations and working within the limitations imposed by government and funding sources. Three of the papers discuss in detail the adaptation of a pregnancy prevention program for Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations. These presentations will cover the CDC guidlines for adapting programs and increasing their cultural relevance. Evaluation data from the adapted program will be presented. The fourth paper covers the political realities of pregnancy prevention, including abstinance only interventions and the evidence documenting their level of effectiveness.

Session Objectives: 1. Articulate the need to design and evaluation prevention and health promotion programs for and among native and immigrant populations in the U.S. 2. Describe the teen pregnancy prevention program Adaptation Guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and ETR Associates. 3. Identify recent trends in legislation, policy and funding with respect to sexuality education and policy in the U.S.