TeenSTAR

OVERVIEW

TeenSTAR is a 14-session, abstinence-centered, pregnancy prevention program that delivers sex education to adolescents, during the course of one year. It teaches adolescents about the biological and physiological aspects of fertility and the psychological aspects of sexuality.  Classrooms were randomly assigned within schools.  Results from two experimental studies suggest that this program is effective in reducing the rate of pregnancy (Study 1) and delaying the onset of sexual activity, decreasing sexual activity in sexually-active youth, and improving attitudes towards abstinence (Study 2), compared with students in the no-treatment groups. 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Adolescents

TeenSTAR is a school-based pregnancy prevention program that encourages abstinence and teaches adolescents about the biological and physiological aspects of fertility and the psychological aspects of sexuality. Over the course of one year, adolescents receiving the program participate in 14, 45-minute sessions once weekly. Topics covered include information about human reproductive organs, the effects of puberty, fertility awareness, emotional awareness, behavioral control, contraception, and the influence of the media on defining sexuality. Sessions include group discussions, brainstorming, skill building, and homework activities to provide an interactive environment for student learning. Teachers receive 45-hours of training.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Study 1: Cabezon, C., Vigil, P., Rojas, I., Leiva, M. E., Riquelme, R., Aranda, W., & Garcia, C. (2005). Adolescent pregnancy prevention: an abstinenece-centered randomized controlled intervention in a Chilean public high school. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36, 64-69.

Evaluated Population: The sample consisted of three cohorts of 15- to 16-year-old students entering their first year of high school (n=1259 girls). All students were Hispanic White females from low- to middle-income families, attending an all-female Chilean public high school.

 Approach: This is a randomized, prospective study. All students who entered a specific public high school between 1996 and1998 were required by the school to participate in the study. Classrooms (each containing 30-35 students) in the 1997 and 1998 cohorts were randomized to receive TeenSTAR or the general health curriculum which included no reproductive health intervention (Program: n=398; Control: n=342). The 1996 cohort received no intervention. Data on all clinical pregnancies were collected every year of high school.

Note: Comparisons between the 1996 cohort and the other two cohorts will not be reported in this evaluation summary, due to the fact that this group was not randomly assigned to the intervention or control conditions.

Results: The findings of this study suggest that the program was effective in reducing pregnancy rates. In the 1997 cohort, the intervention group had an average of 1.5 pregnancies per year and the control group had an average of 8.75 pregnancies per year. In the 1998 cohort, the intervention group had an average of 3.2 pregnancies per year and the control group had an average of 4.25 pregnancies per year. Because this analysis did not control for clustering effects generated by random assignment at the classroom level, these findings are somewhat tenuous.

Study 2: Vigil, P., Riquelme, R., Rivadeneira, R., & Klaus, H. (2005, May). Effect of TeenSTAR, an abstinence-only sexual education program on adolescent sexual behavior. The North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 19th Annual Clinical Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Evaluated Population: A total of 740, 12- to 18-year-old adolescents (60% male, 40% female) from 10 Chilean schools participated in the study. The ethnic composition of the sample was 100% Hispanic White

Approach: The sample was randomly assigned to the program group (n=398) or the control group (n=342). The year-long program was delivered by 12 TeenSTAR teachers who received 40 hours (5 days) of training on how to monitor the program. The program included one personal interview with each adolescent participant and one parents meeting. Data on sexual activity and attitudes towards abstinence were collected at pre-test and post-test.

Results: The program reduced sexual activity, delayed sexual onset, and increased positive attitudes toward abstinence. Among sexually-active teens, a greater proportion of adolescents in the intervention group reported they had not had sex in the last three months than those in the control group (20% v. 9%). In addition, a smaller proportion of adolescents in the intervention group made initiated sexual intercourse (males: 8.8% v. 17.6%; females: 3.4% v. 12.4%).

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www.teenstar.org/

Dr. Hanna Klaus, M.D., Natural Family Planning Center of Washington D.C.,

TeenSTAR Program
8514 Bradmoor-Drive, USA, Bethesda, MD 20817-3810 

hannaklaus@earthlink.net

phone: 301 897-9323

fax: 301 571-5267

References:

Study 1: Cabezon, C., Vigil, P., Rojas, I., Leiva, M. E., Riquelme, R., Aranda, W., & Garcia, C. (2005). Adolescent pregnancy prevention: an abstinenece-centered randomized controlled intervention in a Chilean public high school. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36, 64-69.

Study 2: Vigil, P., Riquelme, R., Rivadeneira, R., & Klaus, H. (2005, May). Effect of TeenSTAR, an abstinence-only sexual education program on adolescent sexual behavior. The North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 19th Annual Clinical Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages:  Ages 15 to 16

Program age ranges in the guide: Adolescence

Program components: Sex Education, Skills Training

Measured outcomes: Pregnancy Rates; Sexual Behavior (Rate of Onset and Desistance); Attitudes towards Abstinence

KEYWORDS:  Adolescence (12-17), Adolescents (12-17), School-based, Abstinence, sexual initiation, Hispanic or Latino.

Program information last updated on 2/23/09.