An Evaluation of the Yes You Can... Make Smart Choices Curriculum

COMPLETED

NCT05320666

NA

Sponsor: New Jersey Physicians Advisory Group

Summary

The New Jersey Physicians Advisory Group (NJPAG) previously created the Yes You Can…Make Smart Choices! (YYC…MSC!) program with the goal of preventing teen pregnancy and enhancing character development in youth. YYC…MSC! is a fully developed intervention that NJPAG has experience implementing that is grounded in a theoretical framework with promising evidence of effectiveness. However, this intervention has not yet undergone a rigorous evaluation with a control or comparison group. This evaluation aims to conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) to determine the program's effectiveness. This evaluation will focus on the entire PREIS planned intervention, YYC…MSC!. The intervention will be implemented in 12 Newark Public Schools in New Jersey. Findings from this study will expand the evidence base on adolescent pregnancy prevention through this innovative program. After the study, findings will be disseminated to encourage program interest, support, and adoption in real-world service systems or communities, including schools. The primary research question is, "What is the effect of the 2-week YYC…MSC! program on 9th grade students in Northeast urban school districts' reports of engaging in sexual intercourse 12-months after the pre-survey compared to those that do not receive the program?" The outcome for the primary research questions is sexual intercourse in the last 3 months and the domain is sexual activity.

Official title: Evaluation of the "Yes You Can... Make Smart Choices!" Curriculum

Key Details

Gender

All

Age Range

10 Years - 21 Years

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Enrollment

2600

Start Date

2023-10-30

Completion Date

2026-03-03

Last Updated

2026-09-21

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Conditions

Pregnancy in Adolescence Adolescent Health

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Yes You Can…Make Smart Choices! (YYC…MSC!) program

The YYC…MSC! is an 11-lesson curriculum that will be delivered to 9th graders in Newark, New Jersey public schools during 40-minute health classes. The curriculum will be delivered in-person over approximately 2 weeks by NJPAG educators. The goal of the program is to prevent teen pregnancy and enhance character development in youth. Each time an NJPAG educator is in the classroom, they will deliver a single lesson of the curriculum. All NJPAG educators have received internal training for the program. The intervention addresses the following adult preparation subjects: parent-child communication, healthy relationships, healthy life skills, adolescent development, and financial literacy.