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| "What Doesn't
Work " to Prevent Pregnancies and Births: Sexuality Education Programs |
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The McMaster Teen Program is a sexuality education program
that targets seventh and eighth grade middle school students. The program
is administered as part of the school curriculum, and it was implemented
in 11 schools in Hamilton, Ontario in the early 1980s. The goals of this
program are to delay sexual initiation and reduce unintended teen pregnancy.
The program consists of 10 one-hour sessions that are implemented over
the course of 6 to 8 weeks. The McMaster Teen Program incorporates a co-educational,
small-group approach and includes four components: 1) providing accurate
information on adolescent reproductive health; 2) facilitating communication
around sexual decisions; 3) developing problem-solving skills; and 4)
practicing decision-making skills. The program costs approximately $280
(Canadian dollars) per student to implement, and training for the tutors
ran approximately $1,100 (also in Canadian dollars). An experimental evaluation
conducted one year after program completion found that male program participants
were more likely to report always using birth control compared to males
in the control group; however, this impact was no longer apparent at the
4-year follow-up. The program evaluation did not show an impact on sexual
experience among males and did not affect sexual experience, contraceptive
use, or pregnancy among females. |
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