The Effects of the Yes You Can! Curriculum on the Sexual Knowledge and Intent of Middle School Students.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of the "Yes You Can!" (YYC) curriculum on sexual knowledge and behavioral intent of program participants.

METHODS: Participants included students ages 10-14 from schools in a northeast US urban area. Yes You Can! program lessons were designed to support healthy relationships. The curriculum was taught by trained instructors. The testing instrument was a 30-item questionnaire, which included sexual knowledge and intent items. Students completed the questionnaire before program implementation, immediately following intervention, and a third time at follow-up. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Pretest knowledge scores were used as the covariate for the knowledge analyses. Pretest intent scores were used as the covariate for the intent analyses.

RESULTS: Results showed the intervention group had less intent to engage in sexual intercourse than the control group at post-test (p < .001) and at follow-up (p < .001). Similarly, the intervention group had higher knowledge scores than the control group at post-test (p < .001) and at follow-up (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the YYC program had a statistically significant, positive impact on knowledge and sexual intent. These variables are important precursors to actual behavior. Future research should examine the effects of the program on changes in sexual behavior.