Free TeensLeadership Training, which includes a combination of the RQ: Building Relationship Intelligence curriculum and the Free TeensLiving in the Age of AIDS/Deciding Your
Future curriculum, has been offered in Jersey City and Paterson, NJ
since 1998 to more than 6,000 students each year with Title V funding
distributed through the New Jersey Department of Health Family Health
Services.
Independent evaluations of the program conducted by
the New Jersey Health Department in 2000, 2001, and 2003 found
significant increases in student perceptions of abstinence by their
peers as well as student intentions to practice abstinence when they
date.
In the Spring
of 2000, the following statistically significant increases in student
agreement were found when paired t-tests compared answers in the
pre-test to student answers in the post-test (p=.05)
Sexual intercourse can cause problems for people of my age: 67% increase
Abstinence is a normal part of dating: 128% increase
My friends think it is okay for people my age to be abstinent: 66% increase
I would talk to my parents/guardians if I had a question about sex: 71% increase
In
the Spring of 2001, the following statistically significant increases
in student agreement (p=.05) were found from pretest (n=444) to
posttest (n=495) when paired t-tests were conducted.
I plan to be abstinent when I date: 36% increase
It is possible for a teen who has had sex to stop being sexually active: 41% increase
Using alcohol or drugs increases the chance of becoming sexually active: 38% increase
In
the Spring of 2002, the following statistically significant increases
in student agreement were found from pretest when paired t-tests were
conducted.
I plan to be abstinent when I date: 72% increase
A teen who has had sex is able to stop being sexually active: 52% increase
It’s possible for a girl/woman to become pregnant the first time she has sexual intercourse: 46% increase
I would like to see more teens in media such as TV, radio, movies and magazines depicted as practicing abstinence: 50% increase
In
the Spring of 2003, the following statistically significant increases
(p=.05) in student agreement were found from pretest (n=624) to
posttest (n=589) when paired t-tests were conducted.
I plan to be abstinent when I date: 48% increase
A teen who has had sex is able to stop being sexually active: 35% increase
Teens who abstain from sex are usually happier and healthier and have better relationships than unmarried teens who have sex: 51% increase
I plan to abstain from sex until I get married: 61% increase
