Mighty Girls and the Mighty Moment App:? Leveraging Innovative Technology, Narrative Theory, and Social Media to Empower Young Girls to Resist Peer Pressure to Engage in Risky Behavior - The goal of this SBIR Phase I is to prevent risky sexual behaviors among young female adolescents in order to
reduce negative outcomes such as early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. To accomplish this goal,
we propose using state-of-the-art technology to develop a scalable and multicultural version of the efficacious
Mighty Girls program and evaluate its usability and feasibility. Early sexual initiation remains costly to
individuals, families, and society. However, development of effective sex education curricula for early
adolescence has been inhibited by a lack of prevention science strategies and political issues. In answer to these
challenges, Norris and Hecht/REAL Prevention created Mighty Girls (MG), a brief sexual-pressure resistance
curriculum grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and the Communication Competence Model and guided by
Narrative Engagement Theory. MG was developed with parents, public school educators, Planned Parenthood,
and the clergy, and has demonstrated efficacy in a state with an abstinence only policy for sex and HIV
prevention education. MG can be implemented as a stand-alone or component of any sex education curriculum
regardless of local politics because of its focus on peer resistance and decision making. The curriculum consists
of 6 brief lessons that can be taught during or after school and an interactive videogame to teach sexual
pressure resistance, improve self-efficacy, and motivate resistance. However, the program targets only Latinas
and technology has not adequately advanced to take the game component to scale without prohibitive costs.
Hence, we propose to develop a scalable, multicultural version that relies on a narrative app, Mighty Moment,
in lieu of the interactive videogame. Phase I will establish usability and appeal of the multicultural curriculum
version and the app, both of which will be developed through formative work involving a multi-racial/ethnic
group of 7th grade girls, and review of the evidence-based multicultural keepin’ it REAL curriculum and current
literature. Additionally, the Mighty Moment app prototype will be developed in collaboration with Tapp
Technologies, a leading innovator in health promotion technology. This app will guide girls in creating and
narrating a story about being “Mighty” (using their “Mighty Girls” powers to resist sexual pressure without
making enemies of the initiator). Phase II will evaluate MG program efficacy after incorporating social media,
with girls’ stories submitted to Storybooth.Com to be selected for animation and posting on their website where
such animations receive over 40 million views, creating a powerful mechanism for dissemination of peer
resistance stories and intervention messages. Efficacy of the existing intervention, need for risky sex reduction
interventions that surmount political barriers, and REAL Prevention’s success in commercializing health
interventions through partnerships with 4-H clubs, Planned Parenthood, and D.A.R.E. America argue for the
proposed project’s promise. Project findings also lay the foundation for developing a similar program for boys.
