Resources

The BDI Logic Model (Behavior – Determinant – Intervention) was created by Dr. Douglas Kirby. It is a simplified logic model format useful for designing, strengthening and evaluating programs that reduce adolescent sexual risk-taking, pregnancy, HIV and other STDs. For a copy of the worksheet, click here.

Getting To Outcomes – OK! (GTO-OK!) is a simple, 10-step guide for planning, providing, evaluating, improving and sustaining teen pregnancy prevention programs. Updated in 2016, this manual provides an overview of each step, along with resource links and downloadable worksheets.

Oklahoma has approved the Medical Accuracy definition that was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health (October 2009).

The Youth Asset Study was a CDC-funded study by the College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. It explored the relationship between adolescent risk behaviors and protective factors (youth assets). For a summary of the initial 9 Key Assets for a Healthy Teen research, click here. For a summary of the second longitudinal study, click here.

CDC Evidence-Based Programs (EBPs) provides tools and information related to rigorously researched teen pregnancy prevention programs to guide the planning, implementation, and evaluation of local programs. 

There are numerous Promising Programs and Strategies . Many show signs of effectiveness, but haven’t had the opportunity or resources for rigorous evaluation. For characteristics of Promising Programs, click here.

PTC: EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS WITH SYSTEM-INVOLVED YOUTH

Power Through Choices (PTC) is an innovative sexual health and life skills education curriculum designed with and for teens living in foster care and juvenile justice settings to reduce risks related to pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among the vulnerable, high-risk population of system-involved youth. A rigorous, 3-state research study of the revised 2nd edition, funded by the HHS Administration on Children and Families and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, clearly documented evidence of effectiveness. Numerous research articles have been published describing PTC outcome findings, including the one below:

Sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of youth living in group homes, Health Behavior and Policy Review.

The special Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Supplement of the American Journal of Public Health (March 2018) featured two articles from the PTC research project. For more information about PTC evaluation and research findings, click here.

At the end of the research project, PTC was transferred to the Healthy Teen Network which provides training and support for PTC implementation. For news about the PTC curriculum and trainings, click here.

For information about upcoming PTC trainings for facilitators,  click here. 

COMMUNITIES IN ACTION

Teen emPower, Inc.! (TEI) is a nonprofit organization solely focused on providing quality sexual health education for middle and high school youth in school and community settings in the Oklahoma City metro area. For a snapshot of TEI’s work to empower, educate and motivate young people to make informed decisions about their sexual health, safety and well-being, check Investing in Youth. 

SHAPE (Sexual Health And Peer Education), TEI’s innovative and nationally recognized peer education program, trains high school peer educators to present sessions on peer pressure, media messages and assertiveness techniques to middle school youth. To learn about the SHAPE peer education program model, click here. For an overview of SHAPE, click here.  

TEI’s youth engagement and school-based programs are part of a community adolescent health collaboration called Project REACH. For a copy of the 2021 University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center evaluation summary of TEI’s programs in the federally-funded Oklahoma County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Project, click here. For a copy of the Texas A&M University case study of TEI’s peer education program model, click here. For the SHAPE Peer Education article published in the American Journal of Sexuality Education (March 2022), click here. For Oklahoma County Teen Birth Facts-at-a-Glance, click here. For a summary of Oklahoma County teen birth data, click here. 

Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD) has directed several federally-funded teen pregnancy prevention projects working with local schools and youth-serving community partners. The most recent project, REACH (Reproductive Education and Community Health), replicated evidence-based teen pregnancy programs in local middle and high schools, expanded linkages to adolescent health services, and engaged youth as peer educators. For an overview of the 3-year project funded through a grant from the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA), click here. For the 2021-22 Project REACH Yearbook with program and evaluation highlights, click here.  For the 2022-23 Project REACH Yearbook, click here. For the final 3-year report, Project REACH, July 2020-June 2023, click here. 

Previous to REACH, OCCHD coordinated the HHS/OPA-funded project, Replicating Evidence-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs to Scale. For a copy of the program evaluation report prepared by the Health Promotion Sciences Dept., Hudson College of Public Health at the University of Oklahoma, click here. For other OCCHD teen pregnancy prevention and adolescent program information, click here. 

Variety Care’s Teen Clinic is a trusted source for teen-friendly health information and services. Variety Care’s health educator teams provide evidence-based sexual health education programs in high school and community settings. Teen Clinic is one of two direct service providers with Project REACH, along with Teen emPower! Currently, the Teen Clinic staff is partnering with the Teen Parent Coordinators in the Oklahoma City Public School District and the Hudson College of Public Health at the University of Oklahoma to expand support services to meet the needs of expectant and parenting students who are trying to complete their education while handling the responsibilities of parenthood. Highlights of that effort are included in the final report, Project REACH, July 2020-June 2023.  

Honestly: Youth Sexual Health is a nonprofit organization that facilitates a collaboration of public agencies and private sector organizations focused on reducing the teen birth rate in Central Oklahoma. Honestly coordinates the development of the community-wide teen pregnancy prevention plan, Momentum Matters: A Collaborative Plan for Preventing Teen Pregnancy, 2020 – 2025.  

Amplify: Youth Health Collective provides leadership in Tulsa County and the metro area for advancing youth sexual health and well-being through education, collaboration, and advocacy. Its work and partnerships focus on a vision of informed youth, equitable access, and vibrant communities. For Tulsa County Teen Birth Facts-at-a-Glance, click here. For a Tulsa County teen birth factsheet, click here. 

Take Control Initiative empowers young women with the choice of when to have children through education, outreach and clinical services for long acting reversible contraception (LARC). Clinical services are provided free for women of reproductive age who meet qualifying criteria.

Prevention and health programs at Youth Services of Tulsa help youth avoid high-risk behaviors, prevent pregnancy, avoid STIs and achieve positive life goals. Their PregNOT program is provided in housing authority sites, to Youth Services participants and as part of the Juvenile Bureau District Court programs.

J.A.M.E.S., Inc. (Just About Mothers Excelling in School) is a Tulsa-based nonprofit established to encourage and support higher educational aspirations among expecting and parenting teens and adolescents (up to age 24). The organization offers a range of learning opportunities, including life coaching, case management, educational doula, scholarships to support education beyond high school, a Summer Parent Academy for young mothers and fathers, and a Young Parent Advisory Board. 

The Tulsa Health Department’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs help young people make responsible decisions, educating them about the dangers and risks associated with sexual activity, promoting ways to protect their health, and providing teen clinic services.  Its Teen Sexual Health Guide provides tips, advice, and information. 

STATE ADVOCACY & POLICY RESOURCES

Oklahoma Policy Institute promotes equitable and fiscally responsible policies that expand opportunity for all Oklahomans through non-partisan research, analysis, resources and advocacy. For their Advocacy Toolkit, click here. 

NATIONAL RESOURCES