Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Conditions
Brief summary
The S.P.A.R.K (Speaking to the Potential, Ability, and Resilience inside Kids) Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Mentoring program is being administered to youth (ages 11-17) living in out-of-home foster care in Duval County, Florida. Children's Home Society of Florida in Jacksonville received grant funding for the implementation and evaluation of the S.P.A.R.K program. The University of South Florida is examining the effects of intervention on reducing youth involvement in risky sexual behavior and incidents of teen pregnancy.
Detailed description
The evaluation is conducting an individual randomized controlled trial to test the S.P.A.R.K. (Speaking to the Potential, Ability, and Resilience inside Kids) Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Mentoring intervention with youth assigned to either the intervention or control group. As youth are referred to the study, grantee staff confirm their eligibility and then work with the youth's child welfare case manager to obtain youth assent and parental consent. Once approximately 40 to 60 youth are recruited, grantee staff selects a day for baseline survey administration. Survey administration and group assignment take place at the grantee agency and incentives to complete the survey are provided including a gift card and snacks. All eligible youth with a signed assent and informed consent forms are invited to attend the baseline survey administration and group assignment. The evaluation team generates random numbers using computer software, and the grantee staff uses these numbers to indicate youth assignment to the intervention or control group, after youth have completed the baseline survey.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALS.P.A.R.K (Speaking to the Potential, Ability and Resilience inside Kids) Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Mentoring
S.P.A.R.K is a curriculum-based group intervention for youth ages 11-17 living in out-of-home foster care. The curriculum consists of 23 topical lessons made up of a combination of educational and interactive activities on each topic. The curriculum covers four Adult Preparation Subjects (healthy relationships, educational and career success, healthy life skills, adolescent development) as well as mentoring, bully prevention, emotional competency, self-efficacy, communication, conflict resolution, and pregnancy prevention.
Sponsors
University of South Florida
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
11 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Youth aged 11-17, living in out-of-home foster care in Duval County, FL (Florida) are eligible for participation. Only youth who have provided assent and have received parental/guardian informed consent are included in the study.
Exclusion criteria
* Youth who are teen parents, expectant parents, or currently living in residential facilities are excluded from the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Behaviors | 3 months and 6 months | Survey questionnaire related to adolescent behaviors. |
| Change in Sex Initiation | 3 months and 6 months | Yes or No question regarding sexual activity |
| Change in Sexual Activity in the Past Three Months | 3 months and 6 months | Number of times vaginal sex occurred in the past three months. |
| Change in Condom and Birth Control Use during Sex | 3 months and 6 months | Frequency of condom use |
| Change in Pregnancy Occurrence | 3 months and 6 months | Yes or No question regarding pregnancy |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Relationships with People | 3 months and 6 months | Survey questionnaire related to relationships with people. |
| Change in Basic Life Skills | 3 months and 6 months | Survey questionnaire related to basic life skills. |
| Change in Educational Expectations and Academic Success | 3 months and 6 months | Survey questionnaire related to education expectations and academic successes. |
| Change in Connections with Peers | 3 months and 6 months | Survey questionnaire related to connections with peers. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactSvetlana Yampolskaya, PhD
Backup ContactCathy Sowell, LCSW
Outcome results
None listed