Study Details

The program was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial involving female-identifying youth ages 14-19. They were recruited through various events held by Alternatives for Girls (AFG) in the Detroit, Michigan, metro area. Participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the six-week LeadHer program or a control group that received a similarly intense Sassy Science curriculum of a similar duration whose content was not focused on teen pregnancy prevention. Surveys were administered immediately at baseline, after the end of the six-week program (immediate post-test, six weeks after study enrollment), six months after the program ended (six-month follow-up), and again 12 months after the program ended (12-month follow-up). The study found that 12 months after program end, girls participating in LeadHer reported a statistically significant increase in avoidance of unprotected sex compared with participants assigned to the control (effect size = 0.50). Differences in avoidance of unprotected sex were not significantly different from zero for either the six-month follow-up or the immediate post-test. The study also found that at 12 months after program end, girls participating in LeadHer and those in the control group were not significantly different in terms of having a reported pregnancy. The study also examined program impacts on rates of birth control use and condom use for a subgroup of participants who indicated they were sexually active in the three months preceding data collection. These contrasts received a low rating