An Evaluation of Pono Choices: A Culturally Responsive Teen Pregnancy and STI Prevention Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to determine the impact Pono Choices has among youth for teen pregnancy and STI prevention measures such as: initiation of sexual activity; engagement in high risk sexual behaviors; knowledge of pregnancy and STI prevention; attitudes toward healthy sexual behaviors; skills in managing relationships and choices; and intentions about future sexual activity.

Detailed Description
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The study used a cluster randomized controlled design to evaluate the impact of Pono Choices. Thirty-six middle schools in Hawaii were randomly assigned to participate as either a treatment or control school. Treatment school teachers were trained to deliver Pono Choices. Control school teachers did not receive training and chose their own middle school sexual health education curricula. Over 1,700 7th and 8th grade students in 34 Hawaii schools enrolled into the study. As part of the study, students were invited to participate in baseline and follow-up surveys. The student survey responses were used to determine the impact Pono Choices has on teen pregnancy and STI prevention measures.

Conditions
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Teen Pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Infections

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Pono Choices
* Behavioral: Business as Usual


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Cluster level: Schools with grades 7 and 8 in Hawaii Person level: Students with parent consent and who read and understand English Exclusion Criteria: Cluster level: Public middle schools which included grade 6 Person level: Students who did not provide written assent

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 10 Years
Maximum Age: 13 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Pono Choices<br>Pono Choices: A Culturally Responsive Teen Pregnancy and STI Prevention Program for Middle School Youth in Hawaii. The program includes 9.5 hours of scripted lessons or modules. | Behavioral: Pono Choices<br>* Medically accurate teen pregnancy and STI prevention education delivered through a place-based framework integrating Hawaiian cultural activities that draw upon both historical and local references.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Business as Usual<br>Middle school sexual health content or programs chosen by control group schools. | Behavioral: Business as Usual<br>* Teen pregnancy and STI prevention education left to the discretion of the school.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Initiation of sexual activity assessed by the percent reporting on the questionnaire that they have had sexual intercourse. |  | 1 year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engagement in high risk sexual behaviors assessed by the percent reporting on the questionnaire that they have engaged in sexual intercourse without a condom or other effective method of birth control in the past 3 months. |  | 1 year | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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adolescents, teen pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infections prevention, place-based programs, health education