Teen Health Project

Developers
Kathleen Sikkema, Ph.D. and Jeffrey A. Kelly, Ph.D.
Program Summary
The Teen Health Project (THP) is a community-level HIV-prevention intervention that helps adolescents develop skills to enact change in themselves and the community. The program provides continued modeling, peer norm, and social reinforcement for the prevention of HIV risk behavior. THP consists of five core components:  small group workshops, follow-up sessions, a teen leadership council, parent education, and a community campaign. Adolescents participate in educational workshops, and nominate their peers to serve on a Teen Health Leadership Council. The Health Council plans regular community activities and events featuring HIV-prevention messages. The parents of participants are offered an educational workshop focused on HIV/AIDS information and approaches to discussing abstinence and condom use with their children. 
Intended Population
The program is designed for adolescents ages 12 to 17. It was evaluated with adolescents in low-income urban housing developments. The developer notes that the program is suitable for adolescents from various communities.
Program Setting

The program was designed for and evaluated in community-based organizations.

Contact and Availability Information

Sociometrics Corporation
1580 W. El Camino Real, Suite 8
Mountain View, CA 94040
Ph: 650-949-3282
Email: socio@socio.com
Website: https://www.socio.com/products/pasha-teen-health-project-community-level-hiv-prevention-intervention-for-adolescents-in-low-income-housing-development

See above
Sample of curriculum available for review prior to purchase
No
Adaptation guidelines or kit available
No
Languages available
English
Program Core Components
Program Objectives
THP seeks to increase abstinence and condom use among adolescents at high risk for HIV by increasing participants' knowledge of HIV/AIDS and promoting HIV risk-reduction as a peer, family, and community norm.
Program Content

The Teen Health Project consists of workshops and follow-up sessions for youth, a Teen Health Leadership Council, parent education, and a community campaign.

  • THP workshops:  The two workshops, called 4ME!, focus on HIV/STD and reproductive systems education and skills training on avoiding unwanted sex, sexual negotiation, and condom use, with themes of personal pride and self-respect. Participants set goals for reducing risky behavior at the end of each session.
  • Follow-up Sessions:  Two follow-up sessions (held one to two months, and four to five months after workshops) are unscripted and more teen-driven than the workshops. They promote conversations about HIV, promote self and community efficacy, and reinforce the messages of the workshops. Participants are encouraged to invite friends from the community to attend the sessions.
  • Teen Health Leadership Council: Participants nominate several teen opinion leaders to serve on the Teen Health Leadership Council (a.k.a. Health Council). During Health Council meetings, members develop and plan monthly HIV-prevention activities and events in the community (four events for youth and two events for the entire community).
  • Parent Education: The parent education session is designed to share program content and obtain parent buy-in. During the session parents hear about what their teens have been learning, participate in parent-teen communication skill-building exercises, and can see an optional condom demonstration.
  • Community Campaign:  Participants create a program name, logo, and marketing materials to promote the program. Prevention messages are featured at community-wide social events, talent shows, musical performances, and festivals in order to establish and maintain HIV risk-reduction norms in the community.
Program Methods
THP relies on a number of methods (such as role-plays, hands-on exercises, demonstrations, and group discussion) to train teens and build assertive communication skills for negotiation of abstinence and safer sex behaviors. The program also consists of teen-led activities and events for youth and the community, skill building exercises, peer counseling, a media campaign, and community-wide engagement.
Program Structure and Timeline

THP activities and workshops take place over the course of six months and are organized as follows:

  • Two 4ME! workshops for adolescents, which are 3 hours each, are delivered once a week. The workshops are held separately for males and females, and for younger (ages 12 to 14) and older (ages 15 to 17) participants.
  • Two follow-up sessions, 1.5 to 2 hours each, are delivered at one to two months and four to five months after the second 4ME! workshop. The sessions are delivered to small groups of five to ten youth. For the first follow-up session, workshop peers attend together; for the second session, workshop participants are encouraged to invite other friends in the community.
  • One parent education session that is 1.5 hours long.
  • THP Leadership Council meetings for selected participants are 1.5 hours each and are delivered weekly for six months, beginning after the first follow-up session.
  • Throughout the program the THP Leadership Council organizes monthly community activities and quarterly events (four events for youth and two events for the entire community), planned and implemented by the adolescent participants.
Staffing
Two trained facilitators lead the workshops, follow-up sessions, and the Leadership Council meetings. Providers should use additional trained facilitators for the Leadership Council meetings and other events, as needed.
Program Materials and Resources
The program distributor, Sociometrics, offers the following program materials:
  • Teen Health Project User's Guide
  • 4ME! Before You Begin:  An Overview for the Curriculum Manual
  • 4ME! Curriculum Manual
  • 4ME! Workshop Appendix
  • Teen Health Project Leadership Council Facilitation Guide
  • What Worked:  Notes from the Field
  • Logos and Certificate
  • Resource Lists
  • Workshop Attendance and Evaluation
  • Teen, Sex & Health DVD
  • 101 Ways to Make Love Without Doin' It, educational brochure (Also available in Spanish)
  • Fidelity Checklist
  • Set of original evaluation instruments
  • Prevention Minimum Evaluation Data Set (PMEDS)
  • Local Evaluator Consultant Network Directory

While a free sample curriculum is not available, providers may purchase an automatic digital download of the user’s guide to review program components, core competencies for facilitators, and scientific evidence of effectiveness. If providers decide to purchase the program, the price of the download is deducted.

Additional Needs for Implementation
The program requires use of audiovisual equipment for vieweing DVDs and a model of a penis for condom demonstration.
Fidelity
THP has a fidelity toolkit/checklist and tools for monitoring program implementation. These may be accessed on the Sociometrics website: https://www.socio.com/products/pasha-teen-health-project-community-level-hiv-prevention-intervention-for-adolescents-in-low-income-housing-development
Staff Training
There is no required training for this program. However, Sociometrics offers training for facilitator and technical assistance providers to interested providers. The types and cost of training vary depending on the number of participants, location, length of training, and specific needs of the organization. At a minimum, the developer recommends that facilitators be familiar with all THP materials and videos.
Technical Assistance and Ongoing Support

Sociometrics provides telephone technical support on implementation and evaluation for one year with purchase of the program materials.

Allowable Adaptations
All adaptations must be approved by the developer, in consultation with Sociometrics. Potential allowable adaptations include:
  • THP may be suitable for use in other community-based settings that work with groups of adolescents.
  • The two 4ME! workshops can be delivered in one week, or, if absolutely necessary combined into a full-day workshop.
Reviewed Studies
Citation High-Quality Randomized Trial Moderate-Quality Randomized Trial Moderate-Quality Quasi-experiment Low Study Rating Did Not Meet Eligibility Criteria

Sikkema et al. 2005

 		✓
Study Characteristics
Citation Setting Majority Age Group Majority Racial/Ethnic Group Gender Sample Size

Sikkema et al. 2005

 		After school 14 to 17 African American or Black Youth of any gender 1127
Study Findings

Evidence by Outcome Domain and Study

Citation Sexual Activity Number of Sexual Partners Contraceptive Use STIs or HIV Pregnancy

Sikkema et al. 2005

 		Potentially favorable evidence n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
Detailed Findings
Citation Details

Sikkema et al. 2005

 		The program was evaluated in a cluster randomized controlled trial involving adolescents from 15 low-income housing developments in three states. Across the three states, five housing developments were randomly selected to implement the full intervention, five were randomly selected to implement only the adolescent workshops (with no community-level intervention), and five were randomly selected for a control group that was offered a one-time informational session on AIDS education. Surveys were administered before the intervention and at follow-ups conducted 3 and 12 months after the adolescent workshops.

The study found that 12 months after the workshops ended, adolescents participating in the intervention who were sexually inexperienced at baseline were significantly more likely to report having remained abstinent. The study found no statistically significant program impacts at the time of the 3-month follow-up survey.

The study also examined program impacts on measures of condom use. Findings for this outcome were not considered for the review because they did not meet the review evidence standards. Specifically, findings were reported only for subgroups of youth defined by sexual activity at follow-up.

Notes

Some study entries may include more than one citation because each citation examines a different follow-up period from the same study sample, or because each citation examines a different set of outcome measures on the same study sample. A blank cell indicates the study did not examine any outcome measures within the particular outcome domain or the findings for the outcome measures within that domain did not meet the review evidence standards.

Information on evidence of effectiveness is available only for studies that received a high or moderate rating. Read the description of the review process for more information on how these programs are identified.