Reducing the Risk
Overview
of the Curriculum
Unique
Features of the Curriculum
Theoretical
Framework
Costs
and Training Information
Evaluation
Fact Sheet
Overview of the
Curriculum
Reducing
the Risk: Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy, HIV and STD includes 16 well-defined
lessons which clearly emphasize teaching refusal statements, delay statements
and alternative actions students can use to abstain or protect. Directions
for precourse preparation — obtaining parent permission, establishing
ground rules, etc. — are included in the manual. Specific guidelines
for class activities, background information for teachers, and complete
lecture notes are also included.
Curriculum Objectives
At
the completion of this curriculum, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the risks and consequences of becoming an adolescent parent
or becoming infected with HIV or another STD.
- Recognize that abstaining from sexual activity or using contraception
are the only ways to avoid pregnancy, HIV infection and other STD.
- Conclude that factual information about conception and protection
is essential for avoiding teenage pregnancy, HIV infection and other
STD.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills for remaining abstinent
and for avoiding unprotected sexual intercourse.
Reducing
the Risk consists of the following 16 sessions:
Class
1: Introduction to Reducing
the Risk: Pregnancy Prevention
Alternate Class 1: HIV Prevention
Class 2: Abstinence: Not Having Sex
Classes 3 & 4: Using Refusal Skills
Class 5: Delaying Tactics
Class 6: Avoiding High-Risk Situations
Classes 7 & 8: Getting and Using Protection
Classes 9, 10 & 11: Skills Integration
Class 12: Preventing HIV and other STD
Class 13: HIV Risk Behaviors
Class 14: Implementing Protection from STD and Pregnancy
Class 15: Sticking with Abstinence and Protection
Class 16: Skills Integration
The classes
are designed for 45-minute periods; however, most can be expanded to fill
two periods by increasing practice time and providing more time for discussion
and disclosure. Students may initially be hesitant about the expectations
for role play, but they soon begin to enjoy those opportunities and use
them to great advantage. For greatest impact, students need encouragement
to practice their interpersonal skills in role plays. The more students
effectively say no to sex or to plan to use protection, the more likely
it is that they will act that way outside the classroom.
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Unique Features
of the Curriculum
Reducing the Risk
Building Skills
to Prevent Pregnancy, STD and HIV
goes beyond the facts about abstinence and protection. It presents a powerful,
active approach to prevention of teenage pregnancy and protection against
HIV and other STD that motivates students to change their high-risk behaviors.
Throughout its 16 well-defined lessons, Reducing the Risk clearly emphasizes
teaching refusals, delaying tactics and alternative actions students can
use to abstain or use protection. Specific guidelines for class activities,
background information for teachers, and complete lecture notes are included.
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Theoretical Framework
Reducing
the Risk is based on three
health behavior theories including Social Learning Theory, Social Influence
Theory and Cognitive-Behavioral Theory. These three theories hypothesize
that in order to reduce risk-taking behavior people need to:
- learn and personalize relevant information,
- recognize social pressures and anticipate risky situations,
- establish norms for positive behaviors,
- learn and practice skills to act on the information and cope with
social pressures.
In order
to address each of these critical components of the health behavior theories
Reducing the Risk provides the youth with the following:
Information about teen pregnancy, HIV, abstinence, birth control and the
risks and consequences of teen pregnancy and HIV/STD. Information about
these topics are addressed in Classes 2 and 8-11.
Opportunities to personalize information by having youth identify their
own vulnerability to pregnancy and HIV, examining the impact of pregnancy
and HIV on their own lives and identifying their personal values regarding
abstaining or using birth control. Personalization activities are included
in Classes 1, 14 and 15.
Opportunities to recognize social pressures and anticipate risky situations
by having youth examine common lines used to pressure for sex and teaching
youth how to anticipate and prepare for situations in which unwanted or
unprotected sex may occur. Social Pressures are addressed in Class 6,
and preparing for risky situations is addressed in all the skills classes.
Norms for abstinence or protected sex are reinforced in each of the 16
classes through the information presented and through all the skill instruction
and practice.
Opportunities to learn and practice skills including refusal skills, delaying
skills and protection skills are learned and practiced in Classes 3-5,
10-11 and 15-16.
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Curriculum Costs
and Training Information
Curriculum Costs
Now in its 4th edition,
the Reducing the Risk Teacher's Manual sells for $42.95 and comes
with one Student Workbook. The Student Workbook is available in both English
and Spanish. Sets of 5 sell for $18.95. A Reducing the Risk Activity
Kit is also available, which includes all the materials needed to successfully
teach Reducing the Risk in the classroom. The Activity Kit sells
for $39.
To receive
more information and to order Reducing the Risk, contact:
ETR Associates
Phone: 1-800-321-4407
Fax: 1-800-435-8433
Internet: www.etr.org
Training
Basic educator trainings
for Reducing the Risk are available on a fee-for-service basis from
ETR Associates. Fee-for service trainings are provided by request from a
state or local education or health agency for groups of approximately 20-50
people. Costs vary depending on the size of the group trained. Average costs
include approximately $5,600 for staff time to prepare for and conduct the
training plus travel cost (average $2,500 depending on location) and curriculum
and training materials costs at approximately $60.00 per person. For more
information, contact ETR Associates' Training Department at training@etr.org.
In addition,
there may be a local trainer in your state who is qualified to provide
Reducing the Risk trainings.
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Evaluation
Fact Sheet
Intervention
During
the fall semester of 1988 and the spring semester of 1989, 13 high schools
in ten California school districts implemented the curriculum during 15
consecutive class periods. Four hundred twenty-nine 9th and 10th grade
students received the curriculum; 329 students served as a comparison
group and received the standard sexuality education class taught at each
school. The curriculum was implemented as part of a more comprehensive,
required health education class.
Behavioral Findings
After
18 months, students who had not had sexual intercourse before the intervention
reported significantly less initiation of intercourse than students in
the comparison group. Those who were sexually active 18 months later reportedly
used contraception more often than those in the comparison group. The
curriculum increased the proportion of students who reported talking with
their parents about abstinence and contraception.
Other Significant
Findings
Students
in the intervention group had a greater increase in knowledge about the
risk of pregnancy and STDs and proper use of condoms and other forms of
contraception than did students in the comparison group. The program also
significantly affected students' perceptions of the proportion of their
peers who had ever had sexual intercourse.
Teachers
implementing RTR voluntarily attended a 3-day training session. Observers
who assessed implementation found that 95% of teachers using RTR followed
the lesson plan, completed the activities, and gave accurate answers to
students' questions. Over 85% were comfortable teaching the curriculum
and felt adequately prepared.
Research Design
In
the quasi-experimental design, 23 health education classes received the
intervention and another 23 classes received the standard health class
in the school. Following implementation, students, teachers, and parents
assessed the curriculum. Students were surveyed through confidential questionnaires
before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention,
six months, and 18 months later. In addition, observers visited participating
classes at least once to assess the fidelity of implementation as well
as teachers' level of comfort and preparation with teaching the curriculum.
For more
in-depth information:
Kirby D, Barth RP, Leland N, and Fetro JV (1991). Reducing the Risk: Impact
of a new curriculum on sexual risk-taking. Family Planning Perspectives
23(6): 253-263.
References
|
Barth,
R.P., (1986). Social and Cognitive Treatment of Children and Adolescents.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
 |
Barth,
R.P., Middleton, K. and Wagman, E. (1989). A Social and Cognitive
Skill-building Approach to Preventing Teenage Pregnancy, Theory
Into Practice 28, (3) 183-189.
|
| Barth,
R.P., Schinke, S. & Maxwell, J. (1985). Coping Skills Training
for School-age Mothers. Journal of Social Service Research
8, 75-94. |
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