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Abstract

Background: Despite effective solutions to reduce teen birth rates, Texas teen birth rates are among the highest in the nation. School districts can impact youth sexual behavior through implementation of evidence-based programs (EBPs); however, teen pregnancy prevention is a complex and controversial issue for school districts. Subsequently, very few districts in Texas implement EBPs for pregnancy prevention. Additionally, school districts receive little guidance on the process for finding, adopting, and implementing EBPs. Purpose: The purpose of this report is to present the CHoosing And Maintaining Programs for Sex education in Schools (CHAMPSS) Model, a practical and realistic framework to help districts find, adopt, and implement EBPs. Methods: Model development occurred in four phases using the core processes of Intervention Mapping: 1) knowledge acquisition, 2) knowledge engineering, 3) model representation, and 4) knowledge development. Results: The CHAMPSS Model provides seven steps, tailored for school-based settings, which encompass phases of assessment, preparation, implementation, and maintenance: Prioritize, Asses, Select, Approve, Prepare, Implement, and Maintain. Advocacy and eliciting support for adolescent sexual health are also core elements of the model. Conclusion: This systematic framework may help schools increase adoption, implementation, and maintenance for EBPs.

Key Take Away Points

  • Adoption and implementation of evidence based pregnancy prevention programs is a complex and controversial issue for school districts.
  • Schools districts can utilize a four-phased model that includes seven actions to increase adoption, implementation, and maintenance of evidence-based programs and minimize barriers.
  • Gaining support from stakeholders is a core element needed throughout the adoption and implementation process for schools.

Author Biography

Belinda F. Hernandez, MPH, CHES, PhD candidate in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science at the University of Texas School of Public Health and an Associations of Schools of Public Health/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Prevention Research Center Minority Health Fellow, has research experience with minority populations, adolescents, program dissemination, and intervention-based research.

Melissa Peskin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health and Associate Director of Dissemination at the University of Texas Prevention Research Center, is an expert in the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of adolescent sexual health programs.

Kimberly Johnson, MPH, PhD candidate in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science at the University of Texas School of Public Health, has research experience in sexual health disparities, program dissemination, and community-based participatory research, specifically involving youth as investigators.

Christine Markham, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health and Deputy Director at the University of Texas Prevention Research Center, has over 20 years’ experience in child and adolescent sexual health research including family- and school-based programs.

Ross Shegog, PhD, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Texas School of Public Health and Associate Director of Communication at the University of Texas Prevention Research Center, is an expert in the application of instructional technology in health promotion and disease prevention to optimally impact adolescent health behavior.

Eric Ratliff, PhD, MPH, Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas School of Public Health, is an anthropologist, and has been working on issues of reproductive health and substance use in the U.S., Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Dennis Li, BA, MPH candidate in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science at the University of Texas School of Public Health, has research experience in adolescent sexual health, program evaluation, and intervention development.

I. Sonali Weerasinghe, MPH Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Texas Prevention Research Center, has research experience in adolescent sexual health, program dissemination, and intervention development.

Paula Cuccaro, PhD, Associate Director of Research for the University of Texas Prevention Research Center, is Project Director for Healthy Passages, a longitudinal adolescent health study following a group of youth over a 10-year period. She is an expert in adolescent protective and risk factors, mental health, the needs of foster care youth, and the human-animal bond.

Susan Tortolero, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, and Epidemiology at the University of Texas School of Public Health, and Director of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research and the University of Texas Prevention Research Center, has over 20 years’ experience researching risk and protective factors for adolescent physical and mental health. She is Vice Chair for the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (#U48DP001949). The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC. Belinda F. Hernandez is a recipient of an Associations of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)/CDC/Prevention Research Center (PRC) Minority Public Health Fellowship. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the ASPH, CDC, or the PRC.

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