The Program
Vision of You is an online, self-paced sexuality education program that aims to reduce sexual activity and the number of sexual partners, increase contraceptive use, and prepare participants for adulthood. It is designed for youth ages 13 to 19. It includes content on healthy relationships, life skills, communication skills, and adolescent development. The online curriculum is interactive and includes games, videos, quizzes, character scenarios, and reflection questions.
Intended Audience
Vision of You was designed for youth ages 13 to 19. The program was evaluated with rural youth between the ages of 14 to 17.
Implementation
The curriculum includes nine 45-minute units, for a total of 6.75 hours of programming. It is intended to be completed over four to six weeks. Participants work their way through the online curriculum at their own pace but, ideally, participants will complete the program in no fewer than three sittings. Staff implementing the program will need to maintain an instructor account and share access to the Vision of You program with students. Staff offering Vision of You are required to take a training course on the components of the program, allowable adaptations, the role of an askable adult, and responding to student questions.
Outcomes
- A reduction in the frequency of sexual activity.
- A reduction in the number of sexual partners.
- An increase in contraceptive use.
- An increase in adulthood preparation subject knowledge and skills (healthy relationships, healthy life skills, parent-child communication, and adolescent development).
Evidence
The program was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial involving young men and women recruited from nontraditional education settings in several rural regions in Virginia. The settings included juvenile detention centers, alternative schools, night school programs, Community Services Board Programs, and programs of third-party service providers. Youth were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the Vision of You program or a control group that had the option of taking part in a healthy eating program called Eat, Move, Win. Surveys were administered immediately before the program (baseline), immediately after program completion (five to six weeks after baseline for the control group), three months after the program ended (about four months post-baseline for the control group), and nine months after the program ended (or about 10 months post-baseline for the control group). Study authors report findings only for the follow-up that took place nine months after the program ended.
The study found that nine months after the program ended, youth participating in the program were significantly less likely to report having had vaginal intercourse without using a condom or birth control in the past three months (effect size = -0.41). Nine months after the program ended, youth participating in the program also reported having significantly fewer sexual partners in the past three months than youth in the control group did (effect size = -0.19). The study did not find statistically significant differences between the groups in the likelihood of having had any vaginal intercourse in the past three months.
The study also examined program impacts on a measure of future orientation. This outcome fell outside the scope of the review.
Additional Resources
Contact Information
For training and support, please contact:
sexedva@jmu.edu
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