The University of Arizona, College of Agriculture
Economic Development and Quality of Life for People and
Communities
Postponing Sexual Involvement
Issue
Teen pregnancy rates in Arizona are among the highest in the nation. The Postponing Sexual
Involvement Program is designed to help reduce teen pregnancy rates in five Arizona
counties.
What has been done?
More than 5,000 students in grades five through nine, from the rural communities of Chinle,
Eloy, Globe, Miami, Casa Grande, Hayden-Winkelman, San Carlos, Mohave Valley, and Yuma,
Arizona have completed five 40-60 minute sessions on postponing sexual involvement. The
sessions are designed to assist pre-teens and young teens in recognizing existing pressures to
engage in premature sexual behaviors, to increase their awareness of the benefits of postponing
sexual behavior, to provide skills that will enable them to postpone sexual behavior, and to
encourage them to examine their personal values about sex and recognize the risks associated
with premature sexual activity.
Impact
More than 5,000 pre-and post-test surveys completed over a four-year period indicate that the
program affected subgroups of teens differently. Students who benefit from the program by
changing their sexual behavior also tend to have protective factors in their lives such as good
relationships with parents, good grades, and future educational aspirations. Those who don't tend
to report higher rates of delinquent behaviors. Overall, the program also seemed to have a greater
impact on females than on males. Adults and teens in the four communities said they liked the
program and wanted it to continue.
Funding
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Population Affairs
Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs
Contact
Sherry C. Betts, extension specialist
School of Family and Consumer Resources, Division of Family Studies
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210033
Tucson, AZ 85721-0033
Telephone: (520) 621-3399 FAX: (520) 621-9445
Email: sbetts@ag.arizona.edu
This report is one of 29 impact statements submitted by the University
of Arizona College of Agriculture to the USDA's 1999 CSREES Science and Education
Impacts
database in Washington, D.C. An impact statement is a brief summary, in lay terms, of the
economic, environmental and/or social impact of a land-grant program. It states
accomplishments and their payoff to society.
Located at http://ag.arizona.edu/impacts/2000/postponesex.html
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