Be Proud! Be Responsible!

Guide to Effective Programs
for Children and Youth

BE PROUD! BE RESPONSIBLE!

OVERVIEW

Be Proud! Be Responsible! was developed to lower the prevalence of HIV/AIDS within inner-city, African American communities. The curriculum aims to help young people make “proud and responsible” decisions about their sexual behaviors.

This cognitive-behavioral program has repeatedly been shown to have an impact on participants’ knowledge of HIV/AIDS and on their attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behaviors. Furthermore, the program has been shown to impact sexual behavior. This program has not been found to have an impact on whether participants practice abstinence.

One study conducted among 7^th and 8^th grade males in Philadelphia found that program participants reported having had sex less frequently and with fewer partners than a control group during the three months immediately following the program. Program participants also reported less frequent unprotected sex and were less likely to engage in anal sex.

Another study examined the program’s impact on high school students of both genders in Trenton, NJ. This study found no impact on behavior during the three months immediately following program completion. At the six-month follow-up, however, program participants reported less frequent unprotected sex and less frequent anal sex than a control group during the preceding three months.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Low income African American adolescents

The Be Proud! Be Responsible! program was designed to increase HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and weaken problematic attitudes toward risky sexual behavior within the inner-city, African American community. The curriculum consists of six culturally-appropriate, hour-long modules. These modules address facts, attitudes, and beliefs surrounding HIV and AIDS. They also teach condom use skills and negotiation-refusal techniques. Program activities include role-playing and video-watching.

Two extended versions of the Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum exist. Making Proud Choices! is the safer-sex-based extension and Making a Difference! is the abstinence-based extension.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Note: The following studies evaluated early versions of the Be Proud! Be Responsible! program. When these studies were conducted, the curriculum was still in development and was not referred to by its current name. These summaries employ the current program name for purposes of clarity.

Jemmott, J.B., Jemmott, L.S., Fong, G.T. (1992). Reductions in HIV Risk-Associated Behaviors among Black Male Adolescents: Effects of an AIDS Prevention Initiative. American Journal of Public Health, 82, 372-377.

Evaluated population: In 1988, 157 black male adolescents (mean age = 14.64) from Philadelphia, PA were recruited to participate in this study. 44% of participants were recruited from among outpatients at a local medical clinic, 32% were recruited from students attending assemblies at a local high school, and 24% were recruited at a local YMCA.

Approach: Participants completed baseline surveys on their recent sexual behavior. They also responded to questions about their attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behavior and their knowledge of AIDS and STDs. While they completed these measures, participants were stratified by age, and then randomly assigned within age to either an AIDS-prevention intervention (n=85) or a career-opportunities intervention (n=72).

Participants assigned to the AIDS-prevention intervention were placed into small groups and received the entirety of the “Be Proud! Be Responsible!” curriculum in a single, five-hour-long session. Participants assigned to the career-opportunities intervention also took part in a five-hour-long small-group session, but their program dealt solely with career-related matters. All small-group sessions were led by college-educated black adults.

Immediately after the intervention, participants were again surveyed on their attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behavior and on their knowledge of AIDS and STDs. Three months later, participants completed follow-up surveys.

Results: The Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum had an immediate positive impact on participants’ knowledge of AIDS and STDs and on their attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behaviors. The impact on knowledge and intentions remained significant at the three-month follow-up.

The curriculum also had an impact on participants’ sexual behaviors. Compared with participants who took part in the career-opportunities intervention, participants who received the Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum reported engaging in less risky sexual behavior during the three months immediately following the intervention. Though these adolescents were not significantly more likely to have practiced abstinence during those three months, they did report having had sex less frequently and with fewer women. They also reported fewer occasions of sex without a condom and were less likely to have had anal sex.

Jemmott, J.B., Jemmott, L.S., Fong, G.T., & McCaffree, K. (1999). Reducing HIV Risk-Associated Sexual Behavior Among African American Adolescents: Testing the Generality of Intervention Effects. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27(2), 161-187.

Evaluated population: In the late 1990s, 496 black adolescents (mean age = 13.2) were recruited from public schools in Trenton, NJ, to participate in this study.

Approach: Study participants completed baseline surveys on their recent sexual behavior. They also responded to questions about their attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behavior and their knowledge of AIDS and STDs. While they completed these measures, participants were stratified by age and gender, and then randomly assigned within age and gender to either and HIV risk-reduction intervention (n=269) or a general health promotion intervention (n=227). Participants were further assigned to a small group that was either homogeneous or heterogeneous in gender and that was led by either a male or female facilitator who was either black or white. Facilitators all received eight hours of training.

Participants assigned to the HIV risk-reduction intervention received the entirety of the “Be Proud! Be Responsible!” curriculum in a single, five-hour-long session. Participants assigned to the general health promotion intervention also took part in a five-hour-long small-group session, but their program dealt with non-sexual health concerns.

Immediately after the intervention, participants were again surveyed on their attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behavior and on their knowledge of AIDS and STDs. 93% of participants completed follow-up surveys three months later and 93% completed a six-month follow-up

Results: The Be Proud! Be Responsible! Curriculum had an immediate positive impact on participants’ knowledge of HIV and their beliefs and intentions regarding condom use. This impact remained significant at the three-month and six-month follow-ups.

At the three-month follow-up, no significant behavioral differences were observed between the students who received the Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum and those who did not. At the six-month follow-up, however, significant differences emerged. Compared with participants who took part in the career-opportunities intervention, participants who received the Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum had engaged in less risky sexual behavior. Though these adolescents were not significantly more likely to have practiced abstinence during the previous three months, they did report having had unprotected sex less frequently. They also reported having had anal sex less frequently and with fewer partners.

The impact of the Be Proud! Be Responsible! curriculum was found to be unrelated to the race of the facilitator, the gender of the facilitator, the gender of the participants, and the gender composition of the intervention group

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Link to program curriculum: http://www.selectmedia.org/curriculum.asp?curid=4

References:

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 13-18 (7^th-12^th graders)/Program age ranges in the guide: adolescence, youth

Program components: school-based, clinic/provider-based

Measured outcomes: reproductive health

Program information last updated 4/17/07