Supplementing Substance Use Prevention with Sexual Health Education A Partner-Informed Approach to Intervention Development

Abstract Background Threats to adolescent health have been shown to co-occur and influence one another. Supplementing substance use prevention with sexual health education would allow educators to address the risk and protective factors that influence both health issues. This streamlined approach may minimize the inefficiencies of multi-session, single-purpose interventions. Methods LifeSkills Training (LST) for middle school is a skills-based cognitive behavioral prevention program delivered over three years during grades 6-8, with a focus on substance use and violence prevention. This paper describes the development of a supplemental sexual and reproductive health (SRH) unit for the middle school LST curriculum, in partnership with content experts and school personnel. This partner-informed approach took place across three key phases: 1) formative insights, 2) unit development, and 3) pilot implementation. Result The final supplemental SRH unit is ten 45-minute sessions offered to 7 th and 8 th grade students and includes a set of learning objectives that are aligned with individual sessions. The supplemental SRH unit also mirrors existing LST modules in length, flow, layout, facilitator instructions, focus on prevention, and utilization of a student workbook. Conclusions Our findings suggest that there is great potential in partnering with content experts and school personnel to develop supplemental materials for existing interventions. This collaborative approach resulted in a set of sessions that are medically accurate and developmentally appropriate. This partnership approach may serve as a model for future researchers and practitioners aiming to extend the reach of existing evidence-based programs.