Evaluating the El Camino Program

Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the impacts of El Camino, a goal-setting sexual health promotion program targeted toward Latino adolescents. The primary research questions are:

* Research Question 1: Is participation in the El Camino goal setting program associated with greater abstinence (measured as never had sex, no recent sexual activity) relative to a comparison group that did not receive El Camino?
* Research Question 2: Is participation in El Camino associated with reduced unprotected sex (measured as sex without any method of contraception, sex without a condom) for the intervention group relative to the comparison group?

Researchers will compare those who received El Camino to a comparison group who received an alternative program that does not include sexual health components.

As part of the study, participants will be asked to:

* Attend approximately 11 hours of programming completed over 11 weeks
* Complete baseline, post-intervention, and 12-month follow-up surveys
* For select participants who received the El Camino program, participate in an optional focus group discussion

Conditions

• Sexual Behavior
• Adolescent Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

El Camino

El Camino is a goal-setting sexual health promotion program. El Camino's lessons and activities: * Are anchored in sexual health promotion and goal-setting * Incorporate a goal achievement model throughout the curriculum * Are designed with a focus on the needs of Latino youth * Focus on the most effective forms of contraception, including long-acting reversible contraceptives The El Camino curriculum contains eleven 45-minute lessons and is divided into three sections, or arcs. The three arcs focus on goal setting, sexual and reproductive health, and healthy relationships.

BEHAVIORAL

Life skills program

Youth enrolled in the control condition will receive one of several curricula focused on life skills or leadership, depending on the site and implementation period. These curricula include PODER, an 11-session curriculum that focuses on youth leadership development; Youth Encuentros, a psychoeducational curriculum focused on mental health; El Joven Noble, a youth leadership curriculum; and Courageous Queens, a socio-emotional and character strengthening curriculum.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Identity, Inc.

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Maryland

  collaborator OTHER

• Child Trends

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

21 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-02-17

Primary Completion

2024-01-25

Completion

2024-01-25

Countries

• United States

Study Locations