The federal government has renewed funding to Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO) so it can continue to participate in a study aimed at reducing teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and sexually risky behaviors.
In 2010, CAPSLO was one of only nine organizations selected nationally to participate in the Teen Pregnancy Replication Study, funded by the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) through the federal Teen Pregnancy Program. To gather information needed for the study, CAPSLO has surveyed hundreds of students. Data collected from the program, along with others across the country, helped to evaluate and identify the most effective sexual health education curricula.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released evaluation findings on these prevention programs.
This is the second grant CAPSLO has received for this purpose, making San Luis Obispo County a major player in national teen pregnancy research.
“CAPSLO has recently concluded the first year of the second 5-year program, reaching approximately 1,200 local students, and we anticipate reaching 4,000 in the next school year.” – Youth Programs Director, Joanne Benham
Over the next four years, the funding will expand research to communities where the teen birth rates are still high, using curricula from the previous study that showed evidence of effectiveness.
Since the inception of the study in 2010, teen pregnancies have declined significantly and are currently at historic lows. Between 2010 and 2014, the teen birth rate in the U.S. declined by 29%, and in San Luis Obispo County specifically, the rate declined by 34%. While these rates show promising results, there are some local communities that are still experiencing high teen birth rates, specifically San Miguel, Paso Robles, Nipomo, and Santa Maria. In addition, rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been steadily increasing, with Chlamydia being the most prevalent.
The grant is timely for our area, as the California Healthy Youth Act (CA HYA) passed by the legislature earlier this year now mandates comprehensive sexual health education for teens in all middle schools and high schools. CAPSLO is partnering with over 25 schools in San Luis Obispo County and Santa Maria to provide this education to students in science and health classes. Training on curriculum will also be offered to teachers throughout the county so that they can implement quality sex education programs in compliance with CA HYA.
“Our goal is not only to provide this essential education to students, but also to provide the modeling and training for teachers to develop the skills they need to deliver this programming effectively on their own. We cannot guarantee funding beyond the next four years, so we are here to provide as much support and assistance to teachers, school, and districts as we can.” – Tracie Maguire, Teen Sexual Health Empowerment Program Supervisor
In addition to providing comprehensive sexual health education on school campuses, CAPSLO will be reaching out to youth and adults in each of the regions with highest needs to make teen pregnancy prevention and sexual health a priority in the community. Youth will be trained as leaders amongst their peers, encouraging others to make responsible decisions and utilize the resources available to them. Adults in the community will work to increase parent communication with teens, ensure teen access to services, and support sexual health education in school. Parent education workshops will also be held in these communities to help parents establish open communication with their teens about these important, but sometimes awkward and uncomfortable, issues.