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Study Details
Citation
Coyle, K., Anderson, P., Laris, B.A., Barrett, M., Unti, T., Baumler, E. (2021). A group randomized trial evaluating High School FLASH, a comprehensive sexual health curriculum. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(4), 686–695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.12.005
Program Name
High School FLASH, 3rd Edition
Show Evidence of Effectiveness
Yes
Program Information
Program Type
Sexual health education
Program Length
10 to 20 sessions
Evaluation Setting
Evaluation Setting
In school: High school
Study Sample
Average Age Group
14 to 17
Majority Racial/Ethnic Group
African American or Black
Gender
Youth of any gender
Research Design
Assignment Method
Cluster randomized controlled trial
Sample Size
1734
Number of Follow-Ups
2
Length of Last Follow-Up
12 months after end of program
Year of Last Data Collection
2019
Study Findings
Result Sexual Activity
Result Contraceptive
Reviewed Studies
High-Quality Randomized Trial
Protocol Version
Version 6.0
Effect Sizes
NA = Not available. This means the authors did not report the information in the manuscripts associated with the studies we reviewed.
a This information was not available whenever authors did not report information for the treatment and comparison groups separately on outcome means, standard deviations, and/or sample sizes.
b Authors reported that the program effect (impact) estimate is statistically significant with a p-value of less than 0.05 based on a two-tailed test.
c For some outcomes, having less of that outcome is favorable. In those cases, an effect with a negative sign is favorable to the treatment group (that is, the treatment group had a more favorable outcome than the comparison group, on average).
d An effect shows credibly estimated, statistically significant evidence whenever it has a p-value of less than 0.05 based on a two-tailed test, includes the appropriate adjustment for clustering (if applicable), and it is not based on an endogenous subgroup.
Details
The program was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial involving 9th and 10th graders recruited from seven school districts in the midwestern and southern regions of the United States. Teenage birth rates were at or above the national average in these school districts. Twenty schools were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the 15-session FLASH program or a control group that received a five-session, knowledge-based sexual health curriculum. Surveys were administered three months and 12 months after the end of the FLASH program.
The study found that among the subgroup of youth who were sexually inexperienced at baseline, youth participating in FLASH were significantly less likely to report having had vaginal sex without condoms or other birth control in the prior three months than youth in the control group were (effect size = -0.67). This impact was measured three months after the program ended. The impacts were no longer statistically significant by the 12-month follow-up, however.
Three and 12 months after the end of the FLASH program, the study found no statistically significant program impacts for the full sample on the prevalence of vaginal sex in the past three months or the prevalence of vaginal sex without contraception in the past three months. The study also found no statistically significant effect on initiation of vaginal sex among the sexually inexperienced sample, either at the three-month or the 12-month follow-up.
The study also examined program impacts on measures of increased knowledge and attitudes about STI testing and increased comfort with communication with parents about sexual health. Findings for these outcomes were not considered because they fell outside the scope of the review.
The study found that among the subgroup of youth who were sexually inexperienced at baseline, youth participating in FLASH were significantly less likely to report having had vaginal sex without condoms or other birth control in the prior three months than youth in the control group were (effect size = -0.67). This impact was measured three months after the program ended. The impacts were no longer statistically significant by the 12-month follow-up, however.
Three and 12 months after the end of the FLASH program, the study found no statistically significant program impacts for the full sample on the prevalence of vaginal sex in the past three months or the prevalence of vaginal sex without contraception in the past three months. The study also found no statistically significant effect on initiation of vaginal sex among the sexually inexperienced sample, either at the three-month or the 12-month follow-up.
The study also examined program impacts on measures of increased knowledge and attitudes about STI testing and increased comfort with communication with parents about sexual health. Findings for these outcomes were not considered because they fell outside the scope of the review.