About Focus on Kids

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Brief History

Focus on Kids Outcomes

Focus on Youth Core Elements

Focus on Youth Key Characteristics


Brief History

  • The original research took place in the early 1990s.
  • The curriculum is grounded in social cognitive theory.
  • Ethnographic and survey research and community input drove the process to ensure developmental and cultural relevance.
  • 383 African American youth ages 9-15 participated in the study.
  • All of the youth were from low-income communities in Baltimore, Md.
  • 9 recreation centers participated in the study.
  • A parent involvement segment was added.

Focus on Kids Outcomes

  • At six-month follow-up, participants in the original program were more likely than youth in the control group to use condoms if they were sexually active (85% vs. 61%)
  • At six months and 12 months, youth in the randomized parent study reported significantly lower rates of sex, sex without a condom, alcohol and cigarette use.
  • It has been adapted and implemented in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Washington State, rural West Virginia, the Bahamas, Namibia, China and Vietnam.

Next: Focus on Youth Core Elements and Key Characteristics