229641 An Academic-Community Partnership to Improve the Health of High Risk Adolescents: Measuring Risky Behaviors and Parent-Teen Communication Using the AFL Core Instrument

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 4:30 PM - 4:50 PM

Kathleen A. Sternas, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
MaryAnn Scharf, EdD , College of Nursing, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Rosemarie Peterkin, MAT , Newark Best Friends and Best Men, Newark, NJ
Janet Summerly, MSN, RN , Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Wendiann Sethi, MS , Department of Mathematics, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Background: Newark teenagers exhibit high rates of risky behaviors including drug and alcohol use, smoking, sexual activity contributing to STD's/HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy. Partnerships between community agencies and academic institutions to develop, implement and evaluate interventions for adolescents can positively impact the health of adolescents. This presentation describes an academic-community partnership to reduce risky behaviors and promote parent-teen communication in high risk adolescents, and evaluates outcomes of an evidenced-based intervention, the Newark NJ Best Friends/Best Men Adolescent Family Life Intervention. Methods: Pretest posttest design. Participants: Four intervention and five comparison schools (N=4076). Intervention participants were randomly selected. Comparison participants were a convenience sample. Intervention and comparison schools were matched on demographic variables. Procedure: The intervention focused on sexuality discussions, mentoring, role modeling, health/fitness classes, cultural events, community service and a recognition ceremony. Bandura's Social Learning and Piaget's cognitive development theories guided the intervention. Measures: AFL Core Instrument and Demographic Questionnaire. AFL Core subscales included: use of drugs/alcohol; negative effects of teen sex; abstinence; female parental interaction; male parental interaction; talk to parent about sex, drugs, alcohol, puberty; teens future perceptions. T-tests, ANOVA and a .05 level of significance were used. Results: The intervention group scored significantly lower than the comparison group on drug/alcohol use (t=-9.372, p<.001), and higher on negative effects of teen sex (t=4.774, p<.001), abstinence (t=13.161, p <.001), female parental interaction (t=2.549, p=.011), and future perceptions (t=3.645, p<.001). Using ANOVA, the intervention group significantly differed on pretest-posttest scores for female parental interaction (2.881,p=.004), talk to parent about sex/drugs/alcohol/puberty (-2,203, p=.028). The comparison group was significantly different on pretest-posttest scores for drug/alcohol use (-2.934, p=.003) and future perceptions (3.747, p<.001). There was a significant difference in pretest-posttest scores for use of drugs/alcohol ( -2.594, p=.010), female parental interaction (3.466, p=.011) and future teen perceptions (4.125, p<.001). Conclusions: Intervention participants have more positive outcomes related to fewer risky behaviors, more abstinence behaviors/attitudes, and more parent-teen communication. A community academic partnership can positively impact the health of adolescents. Findings have implications for the development of interventions that reduce risky behaviors in teenagers and promote parent-teen communication.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe an academic- community partnership to reduce risky behaviors and improve the health of high risk teenagers. Evaluate an evidence-based intervention to reduce risky behaviors and promote parent-teen communication in high risk teenagers.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Partnerships

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have conducted the work for this presentation in collaboration with the other authors on this paper.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.