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Hawaii Youth Services Network—Program Adaptation in Action

The Challenge

• Nationally, Asian/Pacific Islanders (A/PI) have the lowest teen birth rate of all reported racial and ethnic groups. However, the teen birth rate among Hawaiian A/PIs is more than twice that of the United States A/PI rate (46/1,000 in Hawaii versus 17/1,000 in the United States in 2006), and is higher than Hawaii’s overall teen birth rate (41/1,000).^1,2
• With nearly three quarters of teen births in Hawaii being to A/PI mothers, it is critical to provide these youth with culturally appropriate, effective prevention programming.²
• In 2004 alone, preventing teen childbearing in Hawaii would have saved tax payers an estimated $22 million.³

Birth Rates (live births) per 1,000 Females Aged 15–19 Years Old,
by Race & Hispanic Ethnicity— Hawaii and United States, 2006

While the Hispanic teen birth rate is high, this population is relatively small. The vast majority of teen births in Hawaii are to Asian/Pacific Islander mothers.

Source:
1. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ, Menacker F, Kimeyer S, Mathews TJ. Births: Final data for 2006. National Vital Statistics Reports 2009;57(7).
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. VitalStats: Birth Data Files. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/vitalstats.htm.
3. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. By the Numbers: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Available at: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/costs/national.aspx*

The Solution

• Hawaii Youth Services Network (HYSN) has implemented science-based teen pregnancy prevention programs in 20 public school classrooms, 2 Native Hawaiian charter schools, a residential substance abuse and mental health treatment center for youth, and in after school programs.
• HYSN provides training and technical assistance to Catholic Charities of Hawaii to build that organization’s capacity to evaluate its abstinence-only until marriage curriculum.
• Two after school programs and a juvenile crime prevention program have implemented a youth development program shown to reduce teen pregnancy.
• Working closely with curriculum developers, CDC, the Hawaii Department of Health, and other partners, HYSN adapted the science-based curriculum, Making Proud Choices!, to more effectively meet the needs of Hawaiian youth.
• HYSN works with parents to increase their understanding of school-based teen pregnancy prevention curricula, and provides workshops on parent-child communication to promote positive outcomes in youth.

Youth and Communities Served

• More than 900 middle school and high school aged youth received science-based teen pregnancy prevention programming in 2007–2008 in schools, public housing communities, after school programs, and residential services.
• Evaluation data to date show improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and intentions related to sexual and reproductive health sustained at a 3-month follow-up, after program completion. Some examples include the following:
  • At 3-month follow-up, 94% of students in one middle school (n=187) responded correctly to the statement, “Being a teen parent makes it harder to reach your goals,” versus 69% prior to taking the course.
  • At 3-month follow-up, 81% of students responded correctly to the statement, “Because teen girls’ bodies are still growing, having a baby can be harder on the body,” versus 56% prior to taking the course.
  • At 3-month follow-up, 94% of students responded correctly to the statement, “It is important to me that I avoid getting a sexually transmitted disease,” versus 80% prior to taking the course.

Expected Impact

• Short term: Hawaii schools and community-based youth-serving organizations will have increased capacity to select, implement, and evaluate science-based approaches to teen pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention.
• Intermediate: More organizations and schools will implement a science-based program with fidelity for a sustained period of time.
• Long term: By 2010, the program will contribute to increased numbers of teens who abstain, delay initiation, or use effective means of contraception and disease prevention; and to reduced rates of teen pregnancy, HIV, and STDs in Hawaii.

Targeted Population(s)

• Middle school and high school students.
• Youth facing disparities in teen pregnancy, HIV, and STD rates.

Contact:
Judith Clark — Executive Director
677 Ala Moana Blvd, Suite 702
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808.531.2198
Fax: 808.534.1199
Jclark@hysn.org
www.hysn.org*

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Page last reviewed: 5/17/09
Page last modified: 5/17/09
Content source: Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion