Sponsor
Research was supported by the Youth Empowerment Program in the Office of Minority Health of the U.S. DHHS (Youth Empowerment Program Grant 1MP090037) and by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Prevention Research Center Grant U48DP001937).
Published In
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2016
Subjects
Indian youth -- Services for, Indian high school students -- Curriculum, Indian youth -- Health and hygiene, Leadership
Physical Description
5 pages
Abstract
Introduction: During 2010–2012, Oregon Health & Science University’s Prevention Research Center, a Northwest Tribe, and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, collaborated to evaluate the Healthy & Empowered Youth Project, a school- and community-based positive youth development program for American Indian and Alaska Native high school students.
Methods: The Native STAND (Students Together Against Negative Decisions) curriculum was enhanced with hands-on learning activities in media design to engage students in sexual and reproductive health topics covered by the curriculum. Guest speakers, field trips, and extracurricular activities were added to provide academic enrichment, engage students in cultural activities, and offer opportunities for career development. Students completed comprehensive pre- and postsurveys, and the authors conducted focus groups and key informant interviews with students and teachers. Data analysis was conducted during 2013–2014.
Results: Survey findings demonstrated improvements in student leadership and achievement, physical and mental health, and protective sexual health behaviors. The percentage of female teens reporting use of a condom the last time they had sex increased from 17% to 30%, and those who reported ever having been tested for sexually transmitted illnesses doubled from 12% to 24%. Focus group and interview findings indicated similar improvements in student self-esteem, life skills, health behavior, and engagement in community.
Conclusions: The Healthy & Empowered Youth Project educated and empowered Native high school students on a variety of sensitive health topics. The media enhancements were central to the program’s success, reinforcing and personalizing classroom lessons and generating health-related videos and posters that resonated with family and friends.
DOI
10.1016/j.amepre.2016.10.024
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/24045
Publisher
Elsevier, Inc.
Citation Details
Craig Rushing, S., Hildebrandt, N., Grimes, C., Roswell, A., Christensen, B., and Lambert, W. (2018) Healthy & Empowered Youth: A Positive Youth Development Program for Native Youth, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 52, no. 3S3. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.10.024
Description
Am J Prev Med 2017;52(3S3):S263–S267. & 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This article is part of a supplement issue titled Prevention Research Centers Program – 30th Anniversary: Translating Applied Public Health Research into Policy and Practice.