The Safer Choices Project: Methodological Issues in School-Based Health Promotion Intervention Research

Abstract:
Randomized trials of school-based health promotion programs present unique design and analytical issues not widely discussed in the research literature. This article describes a study of the Safer Choices program--a school-based program for prevention of HIV, other STDs, and teen pregnancy--to illustrate methodological issues involved in large-scale school-based intervention trials, particularly those evaluating interventions with a school-wide focus. The issues presented are: 1) comparability of the intervention and control groups even when few units are randomized; 2) factors that affect the decision to use a cohort or cross-sectional design; and 3) appropriate analysis strategy when the unit of randomization and intervention is at the school level but observations are at the student level. This article emerges at an important time, during a discussion of more rigorous evaluations of school health programs. Because of its technical nature, the article will primarily be of interest to those with a background in statistics.

Author(s): BASEN-ENGQUIST, Karen, Ph.D.; PARCEL, Guy S., Ph.D.; HARRIST, Ronald, Ph.D.; KIRBY, Douglas, Ph.D.; COYLE, Karin, Ph.D.; BANSPACH, Stephen, Ph.D.; and RUGG, Deborah, Ph.D.

Publication: Journal of School Health, Vol. 67, No. 9


Date Published: 11/1/1997

Pages: 7

Location Code: 8221