Becoming a Responsible Teen (BART) - INACTIVE
Becoming a Responsible Teen (BART) is an HIV prevention curriculum developed for African American adolescents, that is based on ethnic pride and can be delivered in non-school, community-based settings. BART consists of eight sessions, which are 1.5 to 2 hours each. The program uses interactive group discussions and role plays that have been created by teens.
Although the focus of Becoming a Responsible Teen is HIV/AIDS prevention, the curriculum includes topics and activities relevant to teen pregnancy prevention. Teens learn to clarify their own values about sexual decisions and pressures as well as practice skills to reduce sexual risk-taking. These include correct condom use, assertive communication, refusal techniques, self-management, and problem solving. Also, abstinence is woven throughout the curriculum and is discussed as the best way to prevent HIV infection and pregnancy.
The program was designed to be implemented in non-school settings, including after school or in health clinics. It was evaluated in community-based organizations, health clinics, high schools, and correctional facilities.
ETR
100 Enterprise Way, Suite G300
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Ph: 800-321-4407 x237
Website: http://www.etr.org/ebi/
The data presented on this page reflects responses from the program’s developer or distributor to a program component checklist that asked them to report on the individual components within their TPP program. The same program component checklist was sent to the developer or distributor of every active TPP program with evidence of effectiveness. The program component table provides data on seven types of program components including content, delivery mechanism, dosage, staffing, format, environment, and intended population characteristics; whether the component was present or optional in the program; whether the component is considered to be core to the program; and the lesson number or activity where the component can be found in the program. For more details, refer to the FAQ.
Program component data is not available.
- Increasing knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention.
- Changing attitudes toward HIV prevention and safer sex.
- Changing perceptions of risk and social norms regarding HIV.
- Increasing behavioral intent to avoid behaviors that could lead to contracting HIV.
- Clarifying values about sexual decisions and pressures.
- Increasing skills to reduce sexual risk-taking including, correct condom use, assertive communication, refusal techniques, self-management, and problem solving.
- Information that increases adolescents’ knowledge and their awareness of risk.
- Training in the skills adolescents need to translate the information into action.
- Opportunities to practice and receive corrective feedback and using the skills in a safe environment before they face the challenges of using them in risky situations.
- Social support to help make the desired behaviors the norm in the social environment.
- Knowledge and attitudes about HIV, how drugs and alcohol use may influence sexual decision making, and condom use.
- Skills and self-efficacy related to condom use, preventing risky situations, problem solving, and communication.
- Perception of risk related to HIV transmission and living with HIV.
- Social/peer norms about HIV prevention, safer sex, and promoting the use of effective (assertive) communication.
- Behavioral beliefs and goal-setting.
- Connectedness to culture.
- Values about preventing HIV, promoting safer sex, and communicating with a partner about safer sex.
- Communication with parents or other adults.
The program logic model can be found on ETR's website: http://www.etr.org/ebi/programs/becoming-a-responsible-teen/.
BART program structure includes the following:
- The program is delivered in 8 weekly 90-120-minute sessions.
- When focusing on skill development, participants may be separated by gender.
- The program should be implemented in a non-school setting.
- Parental consent and support should be obtained prior to delivering the program.
Two co-leaders, one male and one female, should facilitate the classes. Providers should select program leaders who are as similar to youth as possible and have credibility with youth.
- Two-day Training of Educators (TOE)—the learning process includes pre-work, skill-based instruction and post-training follow-up support.
- Four-day Training of Trainers (TOT)—available for seasoned trainers who have experience in delivering the intervention. Completion entitles participants to use ETR’s research-based training designs to conduct TOEs for their organization or designated affiliate group. TOT attendees who have completed the four-day TOT are eligible to attend a condensed TOT course on additional EBIs.
Core intervention materials are the Leader's Guide, Student Workbooks, and The Monster DVD from Scenarios USA.
None specified
In-depth adaptation guidelines and tools are available through ETR at the following link: http://www.etr.org/ebi/programs/becoming-a-responsible-teen/.
Examples of allowable adaptations include updating statistics or facts; lengthening skills-based classes beyond 90-minutes without cutting the number of classes; and tailoring the content (e.g. for visual learners or particular gender or racial/ethnic groups).
Evidence by Outcome Domain and Study
Citation | Details |
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St. Lawrence, J. S., Brasfield, T. L., Jefferson, K. W., Alleyne, E., O'Bannon, R. E., III, Shirley, A. (1995). Cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce African American adolescents' risk for HIV infection. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63(2), 221-237. |
The program's evidence of effectiveness was first established in a randomized controlled trial involving low-income African American adolescents recruited from a community-based health center in the southern United States. Study participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the program or a control group that participated in a one-session program on HIV-AIDS education. Surveys were administered immediately before random assignment (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 6 and 12 months after the intervention ended. |
St. Lawrence, J. S., Crosby, R. A., Belcher, L., Yazdani, N. (1999). Sexual risk reduction and anger management interventions for incarcerated male adolescents: A randomized controlled trial of two interventions. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 24(1-2), 9-17. |
A subsequent study by the same group of researchers evaluated the effectiveness of the program among a different target population of incarcerated male adolescents. The study used a randomized controlled trial involving adolescents recruited from a state reformatory in the southern United States. The study randomly assigned participants to either a treatment group that received the program in six one-hour sessions over three weeks or a control group that received an anger management intervention. Surveys were administered immediately before random assignment (baseline) and again six months after study participants were released from the correctional facility. |
Butts, J. B., Hartman, S. (2002). Project BART: Effectiveness of a behavioral intervention to reduce HIV risk in adolescents. The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 27(3), 163-169. |
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Malow, R. M., Stein, J. A., McMahon, R. C., Devieux, J., Rosenberg, R., Jean-Gilles, M. (2009). Effects of a culturally adapted HIV prevention intervention in Haitian youth. JANAC: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 20(2), 110-121. |
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Robertson, A. R., St. Lawrence, J., Morse, D. T., Baird-Thomas, C., Liew, H., Gresham, K. (2011). The healthy teen girls project: Comparison of health education and STD risk reduction intervention for incarcerated adolescent females. Health Education Behavior, 38(3), 241-250. |
This study evaluated an adapted version of the program designed for incarcerated adolescent females. The study used a cluster randomized controlled trial involving female adolescents recruited from a correctional facility in the southern United States. The study randomly assigned small groups of newly admitted detainees to either a treatment group that received the adapted program or a control group that received a health education curriculum. Surveys were administered immediately before the program started (baseline), immediately after the program ended, and nine months after participants were released from the correctional facility. |
The Policy Research Group (2015a). Evaluation of Becoming a Responsible Teen: Findings from the Replication of an Evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. New Orleans, LA: Jenner, E., Walsh, S., Jenner, L. W., Demby, H., Gregory, A., Davis, E. |
A more recent study evaluated the program using a randomized controlled trial that involved 850 adolescents recruited from youth summer employment programs in New Orleans. Adolescents were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received BART or a control group that received Healthy Living, a general health and nutrition program. The study collected outcome data before the program started (baseline) and six months after the end of the program. |
Ruwe, M.B., McCloskey, L., Meyers, A., Prudent, N., and Foureau-Dorsinville, M. Evaluation of Haitian American Responsible Teen. Findings from the Replication of an Evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in Eastern Massachusetts, August 2016. |
A separate recent study evaluated a cultural adaptation of BART designed for Haitian teens living in the U.S. called Haitian-American Responsible Teen (HART). The study examined the effectiveness of HART using a randomized controlled trial that involved 552 youth of Haitian descent attending 9th through 11th grades in schools located in the greater Boston area. Adolescents were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the eight lessons of the BART curriculum plus two additional lessons as part of the adaptation one lesson on anatomy and the other on post-traumatic stress disorder or a control group that received a fitness and nutrition program. Surveys were administered before the program started (baseline), and again immediately, six, and 12 months after the program ended. |
Shepherd, L.M., Sly, K.F., Girard, J.M. (2017). Comparison of comprehensive and abstinence-only sexuality education in young African American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 61, 50-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.09.006 |
This study received a low study quality rating because there was only one subject or cluster in either the treatment or control condition. |