Planned Parenthood Teen Council Program Study
Condition: Adolescent Problem Behavior
MeSH terms: Problem Behavior
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluation of the Teen Council program that was
      tested with high school students (grades 10-12) to assess whether it results in a reduction
      of teen pregnancy among other outcomes.
    

Detailed description: 
      Over the course of five years, we expected to have approximately 800 teens (400 program and
      400 control) in the study. Teens were randomly selected for the program (Teen Council) and
      control (no program) conditions.

      Teens in both groups were surveyed in the late summer/early fall of their enrollment year and
      each spring thereafter. Participation in the evaluation by control teens and unenrolled
      program teens was recognized with a small stipend.

      The pre-survey was administered during the summer retreat for incoming Teen Council members.
      The same survey was administered by Philliber staff for the control youth via online,
      telephone, or mailed surveys during the late summer/fall. The post-surveys were administered
      at the end of the school year. Again, the survey was administered by program facilitators for
      the Teen Council program group. Philliber administered the post survey for the control group
      providing the same options for completion (online, telephone, or mail).

      To facilitate follow-up, complete contact information was collected at baseline. This
      included the telephone numbers, physical addresses, and email addresses of the student and
      telephone numbers of their parents/guardians. Also requested was contact information for two
      relatives or adult friends who would likely know how to contact the teen. Parents were asked
      on the consent form to provide permission to receive change of school information in the
      event that their teen transferred to a new school. Philliber reached out to unenrolled Teen
      Council members and control group teens by telephone, email, text messaging, and/or U.S. Mail
      for survey administration (via telephone, online, or hard copy).
    

Intervention name(s): Teen Council
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Youth randomly selected for Teen Council attended weekly meetings for an entire school year to receive training on specific topics. In turn, they provided educational presentations to the community, which required that they miss school (about one day per month). The presentations Teen Council members offered in middle and high schools were most commonly on birth control methods; relationships; reproductive anatomy and physiology; sexual diversity; STDs/STIs; sexual consent; HIV/AIDS; and abstinence.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Participating Planned Parenthood affiliates recruited teens to their Teen Council program each study year during the spring and summer months. Interested teens completed an application and, if after review they were deemed by the program to be good candidates, they were interviewed. Active consent was obtained from the parents or guardians of all eligible youth and teen assent was also collected. Twice as many qualified applicants as spots on each Teen Council were accepted and their names were submitted to Philliber for random assignment to the program or survey-only groups.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Adolescent pregnancy prevention; Youth development