Objective: The broad aim of this intervention program is to prevent or reduce risky sexual behaviors and alcohol and other drug use while simultaneously promoting resilience and protective factors in teens' lives. The specific purpose of this presentation is to describe the history, development and initial pilot testing of an Internet web-based interactive, bilingual (English/Spanish) teen health promotion 12-lesson curriculum and its formative and summative web-based evaluation measures.
Design: a non randomized Internet web-based pilot intervention study using descriptive quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods
Population, Sample, Setting, Years. A voluntary sample of 30 9th to 12th grade multi-ethnic (45% Latino) economically disadvantaged teens attending and inner city public high school in 2001 participated in this school-based pilot study.
Concepts or Variables Studied Together or Intervention and Outcome Variables. This pilot study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of implementing an Internet bilingual interactive prevention intervention. Feasibility indicators included access to computers, computer skill levels, computer technology requirements, school-based structure and logistics, and parent, teacher and school administration support. Acceptability indicators included age appropriateness, usefulness and relevance of content, language preferences, literacy level, comprehension, cultural and socio-economic sensitivity, facilitation support and counseling.
Methods: This bilingual (Spanish/English) 12-lesson prevention curriculum is designed to serve the developmental, socio-economic, linguistic and multi-cultural realities of disadvantaged minority youth with a major focus on Latino youth. The Social Stress Model for Substance Abuse and Other Risk Behavior Prevention (SSM) (Rhodes, 1990) provides the guiding framework for the intervention and evaluation measures. The content, teaching methods and measures are directed at promoting protective factors posited in the model (i.e. self-care competencies, family support, positive peer influence, and access to and utilization of community resources). Adolescents self-administer via the Internet the bilingual web-based measures and the 12 lesson TeenSmart Curriculum and receive asynchronous responses from a TeenSmart teacher. Parents receive written materials via correspondence in the language of their choice. Computer-based measures track risk and protective factors and behavioral outcomes of interest (i.e. alcohol and other drug use, sexual abstinence and safe sex behaviors etc.)
Findings: Findings specific to feasibility and acceptability of the intervention are provided. Lessons learned are summarized and specific recommendations for implementation and sustainability are provided. Future research is needed to assess the effectiveness of the intervention to prevent or reduce short and long term risk behaviors.
Conclusions and Implications: The Internet has the potential to provide innovative ways to influence health knowledge and behaviors of multi-ethnic and multi-lingual teens and their families. Access to computers is readily available in school setting and other public community institutions especially for economically disadvantaged teens. The Internet has the potential to provide private, confidential access to information and counseling support to enhance health promotion in school settings. Internet interventions may also have the potential to enhance reading, writing and other communication skills, thus improving student's academic as well as health performance.
Funded by NINR K07-NR00054, NIDA R031100110, the Hershey Family Foundation, the Women's Research Center and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute of the University of Washington.
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