Abstinence Education Changes Perceptions of Middle School Students

Abstract

Abstinence education lessons were designed to address teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) among adolescent youth. A community nonprofit organization with extensive experience in abstinence education trained youth leaders and high school students to collaborate with public school health education teachers. The lessons were based on Promoting Health Among Teens! [PHAT] Abstinence-Only, School Edition (Jemmott, Jemmott, & McCaffree, 2014). Originally developed for use in schools with a high proportion of African Americans, they were adapted for use in schools with a high proportion of Latinos. Over 1000 students from nine middle schools in the northwest part of the United States participated. Responses to pre-and post-intervention survey items were compared and indicated improvements in knowledge of the benefits of sexual abstinence and changes in attitudes toward abstinence. The outcomes of the It's Legit II: Promoting Health Among Teens! Project indicated that it was implemented well, received well, and had a beneficial effect.