Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2004 Apr;158(4):377-84.
doi: 10.1001/archpedi.158.4.377.

Effects of 2 prevention programs on high-risk behaviors among African American youth: a randomized trial

Brian R Flay  1 , Sally Graumlich, Eisuke Segawa, James L Burns, Michelle Y Holliday; Aban Aya Investigators
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effects of 2 prevention programs on high-risk behaviors among African American youth: a randomized trial

Brian R Flay et al. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To test the efficacy of 2 programs designed to reduce high-risk behaviors among inner-city African American youth.

Design: Cluster randomized trial.

Setting: Twelve metropolitan Chicago, Ill, schools and the communities they serve, 1994 through 1998.

Participants: Students in grades 5 through 8 and their parents and teachers.

Interventions: The social development curriculum (SDC) consisted of 16 to 21 lessons per year focusing on social competence skills necessary to manage situations in which high-risk behaviors occur. The school/community intervention (SCI) consisted of SDC and school-wide climate and parent and community components. The control group received an attention-placebo health enhancement curriculum (HEC) of equal intensity to the SDC focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and general health care.

Main outcome measures: Student self-reports of violence, provocative behavior, school delinquency, substance use, and sexual behaviors (intercourse and condom use).

Results: For boys, the SDC and SCI significantly reduced the rate of increase in violent behavior (by 35% and 47% compared with HEC, respectively), provoking behavior (41% and 59%), school delinquency (31% and 66%), drug use (32% and 34%), and recent sexual intercourse (44% and 65%), and improved the rate of increase in condom use (95% and 165%). The SCI was significantly more effective than the SDC for a combined behavioral measure (79% improvement vs 51%). There were no significant effects for girls.

Conclusions: Theoretically derived social-emotional programs that are culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate, and offered in multiple grades can reduce multiple risk behaviors for inner-city African American boys in grades 5 through 8. The lack of effects for girls deserves further research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Changes in school delinquency for boys and girls by condition from the beginning of grade 5 to the end of grade 8. Baseline intercepts shown are the average of the 3 conditions for each sex. HEC indicates health enhancement curriculum; SDC, social development curriculum; and SCI, school/community intervention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Herrenkohl T, Maguin E, Hill K, Hawkins JD, Abbott RD, Catalano RF. Developmental risk factors for youth violence. J Adolesc Health. 2000;26:176–186. - PubMed
    1. Dahlberg L. Youth violence in the United States: major trends, risk factors, and prevention approaches. Am J Prev Med. 1998;14:259–272. - PubMed
    1. Bell C, Jenkins E. Community violence and children on Chicago’s southside. Psychiatry. 1993;56:46–54. - PubMed
    1. Garbarino J, Kostelny K, Dubrow N. What children can tell us about living in danger. Am Psychol. 1991;46:376–383. - PubMed
    1. Shakoor BH, Chalmers D. Co-victimization of African-American children who witness violence: effects on cognitive, emotional and behavioral development. J Natl Med Assoc. 1991;83:233–238. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms