Project Alpha: A culturally appropriate approach to adolescent male sex education

Introduction: A national abstention-based pregnancy prevention program was tested among high school inner city youth. Since 1980, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc has implemented the Project Alpha, a national fraternity program, to teach males about sexual responsibility. This paper reports on the evaluation of a new subcomponent of Project Alpha. Method: The study population consisted of 200 males attending high school in Houston, Texas. The study used a quasiexperimental pretest-posttest untreated reference group design. Measured constructs included knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived risk, beliefs, social norms and sexual intentions. Intervention: Based on the pantheoretical model, ten 50-minute sessions featuring role model stories were distributed and discussed to intervention students. These stories were facilitated by college and graduate students and featured stories of community members and professional athletes who support teenage abstention from sex. Results: The inclusive approach of using community role models to promote behavioural change was found to make a positive impact. Significant effects were observed on student knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived social norms and beliefs.