Age range

Website: www.mch.dhs.ca.gov/programs/asppp

Mission/Goals: To enhance, through associations with families and community resources, the health, educational potential, economic opportunity, and self-sufficiency of adolescents. To develop nurturing relationships in which case managers and adolescent siblings of pregnant and/or parenting teens can work together to prevent teen pregnancy and early onset of sexual activity. To promote healthy family relationships. To assist and encourage adolescents to stay in or return to school, and graduate. To promote the development of collaborative, integrated systems of care to support adolescents to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Notes: There are 18 Adolescent Sibling Pregnancy Prevention Programs in 15 counties of the State. These programs are located in county health departments, hospitals, schools, and community-based organizations. Each program site provides a combination of services, including individual case management, academic guidance, decision-making skills, job placement, self-esteem enhancement, and sex education, including information on abstinence and contraception. The overall goal of the program is to reduce rates of teen pregnancy among young adolescents.

Source(s): www.mch.dhs.ca.gov/programs/
asppp/aspppfacts.htm

Type of Evaluation: Quasi-experimental

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the ASPPP with regard to participants' attitudes and behaviors, compared to a comparison group.

Impact/Outcomes: Major findings included delayed initiation of sexual intercourse (females only) and increased use of contraception (in males only). Long-term findings included a reduced teen pregnancy rate. At the nine month posttest, participating females scored significantly higher than comparison females on intentions to practice abstinence. A significantly lower proportion of participating females than comparison females initiated sex over the nine-month study period (7% and 16% respectively). Sexually active participating males were significantly more likely than sexually active comparison males to have increased their consistency of contraceptive use. Over time, comparison males were more likely to decrease their consistent use of contraceptives. Program females' frequency of truancy (staying out of school without permission) declined from pretest to posttest while it rose among comparison females.