Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the POWER Through Choices Program

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01565304

Enrollment

1039

Registered

2012-03-28

Start date

2012-01-31

Completion date

2015-07-31

Last updated

2015-09-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Infections

Keywords

Teen pregnancy, Sexually transmitted infections, Sexual risk behaviors

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the POWER Through Choices (PTC) curriculum in increasing contraceptive use and delaying sexual initiation among youth living in group foster care homes.

Detailed description

Youth in foster care are at especially high risk for teen pregnancy and associated sexual risk behaviors. The POWER Through Choices (PTC) program is a 10-session sexuality curriculum that aims to increase contraceptive use and delay sexual initiation by empowering youth to make healthy, positive choices about their sexual behaviors. This study uses a cluster randomized design to compare the effectiveness of PTC to usual programs and services provided to youth living in group foster care homes. Study participants will be youth living in group foster homes recruited in four locations: Kern County, CA; Cook County, IL; Baltimore County, MD; and Oklahoma (statewide). The study is being conducted as part of the national Evaluation of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Approaches funded by the Office of Adolescent Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALPOWER Through Choices

10-session group-based sexual education curriculum

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

13 Years to 18 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Resident of group foster care home

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnant or parenting

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Consistent contraceptive use	12 months
Sexual initiation	12 months

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Knowledge of contraceptive use and reproductive health	6 months
Intentions to delay sexual initiation and unprotected sex	6 months
Attitudes toward sexual activity and contraceptive use	6 months
Scores on scale of self-efficacy to avoid sexual risk behaviors	6 months

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026