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| Ranking |
Effective Practice |
| Description |
Urban Women Against Substance Abuse (UWASA) is a school-based program targeting Puerto Rican, Latina, African-American, and Caribbean-American girls (ages 9-11) and their female caregivers. UWASA is theoretically grounded in social learning theory, which suggests a strong connection between certain risk factors (such as juvenile drug-abuse violations and high teen-birthrates) and the absence of positive female role models within a young girl's immediate family, community, and culture. The program is composed of a curriculum-based intervention for preadolescent girls, a parallel curriculum for mothers, monthly mother-daughter sharing sessions, recreational and cultural activities, and culturally appropriate art projects. A variety of support and referral services, such as home visits and regular telephone contact, are also provided to participants on an as-needed basis. |
| Goal / Mission |
The goal of UWASA is to teach girls to build their cultural and gender identity, discourage alcohol and drug use, promote HIV awareness, and explore possible career options. |
| Results / Accomplishments |
The program had a positive and significant effect on the girls' knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Treatment girls maintained the same level of healthy substance use attitudes throughout the 18-month intervention while the comparison group experienced a noticeable deterioration in both use and attitudes, falling below the baseline at the 18-month follow-up. The level of participation in the intervention had an effect on sexual self-efficacy. Girls who attended 20 percent or less of the intervention were least likely to see themselves as able to refrain from sexual intercourse if they were in a romantic relationship. Girls who participated in 20 to 50 percent of the program activities were most likely to see themselves as avoiding sexual activity under the same circumstances. Mother-daughter communication was the single most important variable associated with intermediate and final outcomes, confirming the theoretical underpinning of the UWASA project. |
| Categories |
Health / Substance Abuse
Health / Children's Health
Health / Women's Health
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| Organization(s) |
Institute for Community Research |
| Source |
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Model Programs Guide (MPG) |
| Date of Publication |
2000 |
| Location |
City: Hartford, CT |
| Primary Contact |
Marlene J. Berg
Institute for Community Research
Two Hartford Square, Suite 100
Hartford, CT 06106-5138
(860) 278-2044
info@icrweb.org
http://www.incommunityresearch.org/
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| For more details |
http://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/mpgSearch.aspx
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| Target Audience |
Children, Women |
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