Louise A Rohrbach1, Robin A Donatello2, Bret D Moulton3, Abdelmonem A Afifi4, Kristin I Meyer3, Christine J De Rosa5. 1. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: rohrbach@usc.edu. 2. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, California State University, Chico, California. 3. Division of HIV and STD Programs, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, California. 4. Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California. 5. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study assessed the effectiveness of the HIV/sexually transmitted infection/pregnancy prevention program, It's Your Game: Keep It Real (IYG). METHODS: IYG was implemented by classroom teachers in 24 urban middle schools from 2012 to 2015. Using a quasi-experimental design, each year we surveyed ninth-grade students in 10 high schools that were selected based on feeder patterns from project middle schools. We compared two groups of students (n = 4,562): (1) students whose middle school grade cohorts did not receive IYG ("No-IYG"), and (2) students whose middle school grade cohorts received IYG ("IYG"). Multilevel analyses examined differences between the two groups in the initiation of any type of sexual activity (oral, vaginal, or anal sex), presexual behaviors, and psychosocial mediators. RESULTS: Students in the IYG group were less likely to report initiation of sexual activity by ninth grade compared to students in the No-IYG group (odds ratio .77; 95% confidence interval .66-.90). The IYG group was significantly less likely to have engaged in presexual behaviors, including having been on a date, had a boyfriend/girlfriend, and touched or been touched on private body parts. The IYG group had better outcomes on 11 of 19 psychosocial variables, including knowledge; beliefs about abstinence, sex, friends' beliefs, norms, and behaviors; reasons for not having sex; personal limits; exposure to risky situations; self-efficacy; and quality of dating relationships. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that IYG, when implemented on a large scale by trained classroom teachers in urban public schools, had positive impacts on students' behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge.
PURPOSE: This study assessed the effectiveness of the HIV/sexually transmitted infection/pregnancy prevention program, It's Your Game: Keep It Real (IYG). METHODS: IYG was implemented by classroom teachers in 24 urban middle schools from 2012 to 2015. Using a quasi-experimental design, each year we surveyed ninth-grade students in 10 high schools that were selected based on feeder patterns from project middle schools. We compared two groups of students (n = 4,562): (1) students whose middle school grade cohorts did not receive IYG ("No-IYG"), and (2) students whose middle school grade cohorts received IYG ("IYG"). Multilevel analyses examined differences between the two groups in the initiation of any type of sexual activity (oral, vaginal, or anal sex), presexual behaviors, and psychosocial mediators. RESULTS: Students in the IYG group were less likely to report initiation of sexual activity by ninth grade compared to students in the No-IYG group (odds ratio .77; 95% confidence interval .66-.90). The IYG group was significantly less likely to have engaged in presexual behaviors, including having been on a date, had a boyfriend/girlfriend, and touched or been touched on private body parts. The IYG group had better outcomes on 11 of 19 psychosocial variables, including knowledge; beliefs about abstinence, sex, friends' beliefs, norms, and behaviors; reasons for not having sex; personal limits; exposure to risky situations; self-efficacy; and quality of dating relationships. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that IYG, when implemented on a large scale by trained classroom teachers in urban public schools, had positive impacts on students' behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge.
Keywords:
Adolescents; California; Health education; Health knowledge, attitudes, and practice; Intervention studies; Pregnancy in adolescence; Risk taking; Sexual behavior; Sexually transmitted diseases; Urban population
Authors: Melissa F Peskin; Karin K Coyle; Pamela M Anderson; B A Laris; Jill R Glassman; Heather M Franks; Melanie A Thiel; Susan C Potter; Tracy Unti; Sharon Edwards; Kimberly Johnson-Baker; Paula M Cuccaro; Pamela Diamond; Christine M Markham; Ross Shegog; Elizabeth R Baumler; Efrat K Gabay; Susan Tortolero Emery Journal: J Prim Prev Date: 2019-06
Authors: Antonella Zizza; Marcello Guido; Virginia Recchia; Pierfrancesco Grima; Federico Banchelli; Andrea Tinelli Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-02-20 Impact factor: 3.390