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In 1996, Congress authorized $50 million annually for five years to promote abstinence education. This funding was established through a new formula grant program authorized under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. The funding became available to states in 1998 and is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. States must provide $3 in matching funds for every $4 in federal funds, resulting in a total of up to $87.5 million available annually for such state programs. Abstinence education programs funded through this new grant program teach an unambiguous abstinence message to youth. Programs receiving these abstinence education funds may not endorse or promote contraceptive use.
This report presents interim findings from an independent, federally funded evaluation of the abstinence education programs authorized under PRWORA and defined under Title V, Section 510 (b)(2)(A-H) of the Social Security Act. This report draws most heavily on four years of implementation experiences in a selected group of abstinence education programs funded under Section 510. Later reports from the evaluation will present estimates of short- and longer-term program impacts, as well as studies on special topic areas.
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The evaluation addresses three important questions:
The first stage of the evaluation entailed selecting programs for study. The evaluation team first visited and observed numerous abstinence education programs across the nation. Eleven of these, representing a range of program models and serving different target populations, were then selected for in-depth analysis. Five of the 11 are referred to as “targeted” programs: they target services to specific, identifiable groups of youth. The remaining six are community-wide, systemic-change initiatives, which use the abstinence education funding to increase public awareness of the problems of teen sexual activity, to change community norms and attitudes, to encourage stronger parent-child communications, and to engage youth in abstinence education and support services.
The evaluation includes an extensive implementation and process analysis and an impact analysis. The implementation and process analysis uses program documents, program observations, focus groups with program participants and parents, and interviews with program staff and community leaders to document and understand the abstinence education programs implemented in the 11 sites. The impact analysis uses longitudinal survey data for groups of youth randomly assigned to program and control groups in the 5 targeted program sites. Enrollment in the impact evaluation study samples spanned three school years and was just completed in fall 2001. Therefore, the follow-up data that are necessary for the impact analysis are not available for inclusion in this report.
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The first four years of Section 510 funding for abstinence education have generated a wealth of experience on how local grantees have designed and implemented abstinence education programs. Among the early lessons are the following:
| Common Curriculum Topics of Abstinence Programs Participating in the Impact Evaluation |
|
|---|---|
| Building Self-Esteem | Preventing STDs |
| Developing Values/Character Traits | Withstanding Social and Peer Pressure |
| Formulating Goals | Addressing Consequences/Self-Control |
| Making Decisions | Resolving Sexual Conflicts |
| Avoiding Risky Behavior | Learning Etiquette and Manners |
| Maximizing Communication | Aspiring to Marriage |
| Strengthening Relationships | Understanding Parenthood |
| Understanding Development and Anatomy | |
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Congress has authorized a scientifically rigorous, independent evaluation of the abstinence education programs funded under Title V Section 510 to determine the extent to which abstinence programs achieve six specific goals:
Obtaining clear and definitive evidence on the success of abstinence education programs in achieving these goals is a difficult task that requires time. Over the past four years, the evaluation effort has laid the foundation for a careful, comprehensive, and rigorous impact study and has successfully implemented the research design in the five targeted program sites. Study enrollment is completed, and longitudinal tracking of youth through surveys and school records is ongoing.
Critical features of the impact study design now under way are the following:
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Study enrollment began in fall 1999 and continued through fall 2001. Youth are surveyed at or close to study enrollment (wave 1), between 6 and 12 months following enrollment (wave 2), and then 18 to 36 months later (wave 3). In sites where program participation might be expected to affect school performance, school records will be collected through spring 2004. Throughout, data on program operations are being collected through observations, executive interviews, program documents, and focus groups.
| Interview Schedule | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample Enrollment | Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 |
| Fall ’99/Spring ’00 | Fall ’99/Spring ’00 | Fall ’00 | Spring/Fall ’02 |
| Fall ’00 | Fall ’00 | Spring ’01 | Fall ’03 |
| Fall ’01 | Fall ’01 | Spring ’02 | Fall ’03 |
A report on the effectiveness of the programs in achieving their short-term goals of changing knowledge, attitudes, and near-term behavioral choices will be completed in early 2003, after Wave 2 survey data are available for the full study sample. The final study evaluation report will be completed in summer 2005. During intervening periods, the team will prepare a limited number of special-focus reports that address particular questions of interest to Congress or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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