Evaluation of a Community-Based Sex Education and Pregnancy Prevention Intervention for Youth

Sex education and pregnancy prevention interventions have been credited with contributing to decreases in teenage pregnancy rates in recent decades. However, not all youth have access to high quality programming. In response, the Empower You program was designed to provide 16 to 24-year-olds with the skills and tools needed to make informed decisions regarding their sexual health and romantic relationships. Data collection and analysis featured a one-group pre-post design. The results revealed statistically significant increases in the participants’ knowledge regarding the social, legal and economic implications of parenting and the impact of engaging in sexual intercourse. Implications for future sex education, pregnancy prevention and fatherhood programs are included.