Tuesday, May 7, 2024
5/7/2024
UNSTAINED is an entertainment-education (EE)/motivational interviewing (MI) video intervention designed by PCI Media for youth ages 14-19 who are at risk for or involved in the juvenile justice system (JJS). It is an individual-level intervention during which users watch a series of short, soap-opera style videos that are designed to engage viewers in the characters and storylines while communicating sexual and reproductive health (SRH) messages and modeling healthy behaviors. Each viewing session is followed by a brief, facilitated motivational interviewing-focused discussion. These discussions concentrate on the participants’ SRH goals and motivation to change behavior, leveraging the EE storyline to create an opportunity for dialogue and relate the participants’ lives to the characters’ experiences. EE is a particularly effective approach to use in low-resourced systems and with youth who are difficult to engage. There are currently no EE/MI-based interventions designed specifically for youth involved in the JJS or at risk for involvement in the JJS due to exposure to trauma, and these youth are at higher risk for teen pregnancy and STIs. This proposal pairs several highly qualified organizations, including PCI Media, the developer of UNSTAINED, and the external, independent evaluator, The Policy & Research Group (PRG). Youth will be recruited through partners such as the San Juan County Juvenile Services (SJCJS) and All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center, and using innovative online strategies that PRG has successfully employed to recruit hard-to-reach populations, such as youth exposed to trauma. The proposed rigorous evaluation design is a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
