| Session Title: Implementing Evidence-based Programs to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy: Real World Challenges for Evaluators and Practitioners |
| Multipaper Session 977 to be held in Lido C on Saturday, Nov 5, 2:20 PM to 3:50 PM |
| Sponsored by the Health Evaluation TIG |
| Chair(s): |
| Jane Powers, Cornell University, jlp5@cornell.edu |
| Discussant(s): |
| Abraham Wandersman, University of South Carolina, wandersman@sc.edu |
| Abstract: In recent years, there has been substantial interest in the use of evidence based programs (EBPs) in the field of teen pregnancy prevention. This reflects the increased quantity and quality of evaluation findings which demonstrate that certain programs are effective in reducing risky sexual behavior and promoting sexual health. Although EBPs have yielded positive results under research conditions, there is mixed evidence regarding their ability to achieve similar outcomes in "real world" settings. Each of the presenters in this session is actively engaged in supporting the implementation of evidence based teenage pregnancy prevention programs in different community settings. They will describe strategies used to address the challenge of implementing EBPs with fidelity including how they 1) engage communities to partner in implementation research, 2) monitor/measure the fidelity of program implementation, and 3) use evaluation data to identify challenges and supports, and build capacity to implement EBPs. |
| Finding Common Values: Recruiting Schools for a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program |
| Shannon Flynn, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, sflynn@teenpregnancysc.org |
| Sarah Kershner, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, skershner@teenpregnancysc.org |
| Christopher Rollison, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, crollison@teenpregnancysc.org |
| Mary Prince, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, mprince@teenpregnancysc.org |
| This presentation will describe the SC Campaign's process of developing relationships with schools and securing their involvement in a federally funded randomized controlled trial. The values of the schools and the larger community were important factors in their willingness to initiate evidence- based comprehensive teen pregnancy program for middle school youth and to engage in a five year randomized controlled trial. As the lead agency on this project, the SC Campaign and each school had to find common ground around their respective values on teen pregnancy prevention, evaluation, and partnerships. The process of recruitment will be described, including challenges, strategies to overcome them, and successes. Shannon Flynn, MSW is the Research and Evaluation Director at the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a statewide nonprofit organization. |
| Enhancing Fidelity and Quality of Implementation in Diverse Community Settings |
| Jennifer Duffy, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, jduffy@teenpregnancysc.org |
| Amy Mattison Faye, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, afaye@teenpregnancysc.org |
| Erin Johnson, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, ejohnson@teenpregnancysc.org |
| Forrest Alton, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, falton@teenpregnancysc.org |
| The SC Campaign recently began working intensively in two communities with the goal of reducing the teen birth rate in each community by 10% within five years. In order to meet this goal, the SC Campaign is working with a wide range of youth-serving organizations in each community to support implementation of different evidence-based programs. Collecting information on the extent to which these programs are implemented with fidelity and using that data for quality assurance and improvement are essential to the success of the overall project. Challenges and strategies for engaging program facilitators in the collection of data on fidelity will be described in this presentation. In addition, tools for collecting information on fidelity and adaptations will be covered. Finally, plans for using this data identify potential implementation problems and strategies to improve quality of implementation will be discussed. |
| Practitioner Versus Evaluator Perspectives on the Value of Evidence in Teen Pregnancy Prevention |
| Jane Powers, Cornell University, jlp5@cornell.edu |
| Marilyn Ray, Finger Lakes Law & Social Policy Center, mlr17@cornell.edu |
| Amanda Purington, Cornell University, ald17@cornell.edu |
| The NYS Department of Health has recently launched a new initiative aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and promoting adolescent sexual health through a comprehensive and coordinated community approach. For the first time, the state is mandating that its 50 grantees use evidence-based sexuality educational programming as a condition of the award. The grantees had to select from a list of 28 programs with proven effectiveness as identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services. In this presentation, we will describe how the ACT for Youth Center of Excellence, an intermediary organization, is supporting the efforts of the communities to implement the EBPs. We will describe the evaluation plan for monitoring implementation, tools developed to measure adherence to program fidelity, share preliminary evaluation findings, and discuss challenges faced by both evaluators and practitioners. |