This federal Project Grant award of $588,655 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (CFDA 93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research) supports the "AIM-UP" research project to study adaptations and impacts of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs. The key objectives are to: 1) describe the types of adaptations made when implementing these programs, 2) quantify the effects of adaptations on outcomes, 3) document stakeholder...
This $1,499,856 Cooperative Agreement award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Cooperative Agreements to Promote Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and School-Based Surveillance program (CFDA 93.079) will support the implementation and evaluation of the CDC's "What Works in Schools" approach in rural school districts. The prime recipient, Research Triangle Institute (RTI International), will work with two sub-grantees, the Chatham...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), provides $791,988 to Innovation Research And Training, Inc. (IRT) to conduct a longitudinal study examining the sexual health trajectories and media use patterns of community college students across emerging adulthood. The key products and services to be delivered under this award include: 1) Evaluating...
This Cooperative Agreement award of $1,364,781.00, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Cooperative Agreements to Promote Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and School-Based Surveillance program (CFDA 93.079), supports the implementation of the CDC's "What Works in Schools" approach. The funding will be used by the prime recipient, ICF Macro Inc., to deliver comprehensive school-based health interventions focused on reducing...
This federal Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Cooperative Agreements to Promote Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and School-Based Surveillance program (CFDA 93.079), will fund the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) to improve adolescent health and well-being through school-based surveillance and the "What Works in Schools" program. The $200,000 award, effective from...
This Cooperative Agreement award, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Cooperative Agreements to Promote Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and School-Based Surveillance program (CFDA 93.079), will provide $365,000 to Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2029. The key products and services to be delivered under this award include: (1) implementing expanded, weighted Youth Risk Behavior...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) provides $279,102 to Boston College to develop and evaluate a school-based mental health prevention program called "Gender-Affirming School Practices (GASP)." The primary objectives are to: 1) refine the GASP online training to enhance usability and acceptability for school staff, 2) develop a scalable implementation blueprint...
The Health Care Education & Training, Inc. (HCET) was awarded a $739,499 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Health, under the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program (CFDA 93.297). The purpose of the 5-year IN-CAST project is to provide evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs to 2,750 adolescents aged 14-19 who are involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems in the state of Indiana. The project will...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Adolescent Health awarded a $1,972,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD) for the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program (CFDA 93.297). The "PROJECT REACH: ADVANCING EQUITY IN ADOLESCENT HEALTH" initiative aims to improve adolescent health, wellness, and equity in Oklahoma County by providing evidence-based programs and adolescent-friendly services in school, clinic, and community...
The Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a $600,000 Cooperative Agreement to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) under the "Cooperative Agreements to Promote Adolescent Health through School-Based HIV/STD Prevention and School-Based Surveillance" program (CFDA 93.079). The award period runs from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2029. The funding will support MCPS in implementing comprehensive school-based health...
RIGOROUS EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF A MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITION AND CROSS-AGE PEER MENTORING MODEL ON ADOLESCENT HEALTH OUTCOMES - THE CENTER FOR SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS (CSS) IS APPLYING FOR A TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION TIER 2 RIGOROUS EVALUATION COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT. WE PROPOSE TO RIGOROUSLY EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF A MIDDLE SCHOOL-BASED, POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (PYD), AND PEER LEADERSHIP MODEL KNOWN AS PEER GROUP CONNECTION - MIDDLE SCHOOL (PGC-MS) ON IMPROVING PROTECTIVE FACTORS AND REDUCING RISK BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH TEEN PREGNANCY AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH AND WELLBEING. PGC-MS IS A SCHOOL-BASED PYD PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS ENTERING MIDDLE SCHOOL (6TH OR 7TH GRADERS). PGC-MS IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTACHMENT AND SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) SKILLS THAT SUPPORT ADOLESCENT HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES BY IMMERSING YOUNGER STUDENTS IN SAFE, SUPPORTIVE GROUPS LED BY OLDER PEER LEADERS (8TH, 9TH, OR 10TH GRADERS DEPENDING ON GRADES SERVED BY EACH SCHOOL). PGC-MS IS A MAJOR ADAPTATION OF PEER GROUP CONNECTION - HIGH SCHOOL (PGC-HS), WHICH IS ANOTHER CSS PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS EFFECTIVE BY THE TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION EVIDENCE REVIEW (TPPER). CHANGES TO CORE COMPONENTS INCLUDE CHANGES TO THE SETTING (MIDDLE SCHOOLS VS. HIGH SCHOOLS), THE TARGET POPULATION (6TH OR 7TH GRADERS VS. 9TH GRADERS, SPECIFICALLY TARGETING THE TRANSITION INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL INSTEAD OF THE TRANSITION INTO HIGH SCHOOL), AND THE CURRICULUM (PGC-MS HAS A DISTINCTLY SEPARATE CURRICULUM THAT IS ALIGNED WITH THE DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS). THE TARGETED OUTREACH POPULATION FOR PGC-MS IS MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, WITH A GOAL OF REACHING STUDENTS WITH EFFECTIVE PROGRAMMING BEFORE THEY BECOME SEXUALLY ACTIVE. SINCE PGC-MS IS A UNIVERSAL PROGRAM, ALL STUDENTS ENTERING MIDDLE SCHOOL (6TH OR 7TH GRADERS DEPENDING ON GRADE LEVELS SERVED) ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE. PGC-MS IS A UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE SCHOOL-BASED PYD MODEL WITH DISTINCTIVE FEATURES, INCLUDING THAT IT CAPITALIZES ON EXISTING RESOURCES SUCH AS STAFF, STUDENTS, AND TIME IN THE SCHOOL DAY. PGC-MS ALSO ADDRESSES GAP S IN THE ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH (ASRH)/TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION (TPP) FIELDS BECAUSE IT IS UNIQUE FROM OTHER PYD PROGRAMS FOR THIS AGE GROUP IDENTIFIED BY TPPER AS HAVING EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS. OVER 5 YEARS, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL ENROLL A TOTAL OF 1,400 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS IN 22 MIDDLE SCHOOLS THAT SERVE LARGE POPULATIONS OF STUDENTS AT DISPROPORTIONATE RISK FOR TEEN PREGNANCY AND BIRTH, INCLUDING LOW-INCOME, BLACK, LATINX, AND RURAL STUDENTS IN COMMUNITIES WITH HIGH TEEN PREGNANCY AND/OR TEEN BIRTH RATES IN 5 STATES (MD, MA, NJ, NC, SC) + DC. CSS AND THE POLICY & RESEARCH GROUP (PRG) WILL PARTNER TO CONDUCT AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PGC-MS PROGRAM IMPACTS ON OUTCOMES RELATED TO ASRH. PRG WILL EXAMINE PROGRAM IMPACTS ON ASRH OUTCOMES (DELAYED SEXUAL TOUCHING, DELAYED SEXUAL INITIATION) AND WILL EXPLORE IMPACTS ON MORE PROXIMAL PROTECTIVE FACTORS HYPOTHESIZED TO LEAD TO THESE OUTCOMES, SUCH AS PEER/SCHOOL CONNECTION, BELIEF IN THE FUTURE, SELF-DETERMINATION, AND SEL SKILLS. IN EACH OF 22 SCHOOLS, INCOMING 6TH OR 7TH GRADE STUDENTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A TREATMENT (PGC-MS) OR CONTROL GROUP. APPROXIMATELY 64 STUDENTS IN EACH SCHOOL WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THESE 2 GROUPS, WITH A TOTAL SAMPLE OF APPROXIMATELY 1,400 STUDENTS. COHORT 1 WILL INCLUDE 10 SCHOOLS FROM 3 STATES (MA, NJ, NC) + DC THAT WILL IMPLEMENT PGC-MS AND PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY DURING THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR.