What is the ... Comprehensive Sexuality Education Program?
The Comprehensive Sexuality Education Program is part of a statewide teen pregnancy prevention initiative that supports community-based efforts to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among youth. The program promotes responsible decision making and skill building by providing community based education for youth and parents. Contractors use evidence based curricula and youth development programs that have been proven to delay sexual activity, improve contraceptive use among sexually active teens, and prevent teen pregnancy. Services are provided after school in community settings. The primary target population of the programs are youth involved in the juvenile justice system and parents in general.

Funding for the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Program comes from monies allocated to the Arizona Department of Health Services from the state lottery fund.  The funds are used to contract with local communities to develop culturally diverse programs and strategies designed reduce the incidence of teenage sexual activity and sexually transmitted disease.

There are 14 contractors located in Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, and Yuma Counties currently being funded. 

Why is this program needed? 

Arizona Teen Birth Rates by Targeted CHAAs

Despite a decrease since 1998, Arizona continues to have a teen birth rate that is higher than the national trend. According to the Arizona Vital Statistics, Teen Pregnancy, Arizona 1007-2007, in 2007 there were an estimated 28,661 mothers in Arizona who were younger than 20 years old, 15,038 girls under the age of 20 got pregnant, and 23% of those girls had been pregnant before. The 2007 Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a self-report survey of students in grades 9 through 12. This survey assesses behaviors among youth that contribute to the leading cause of morbidity and mortality during adolescence. The YRBS indicates that 46.1% of the youth surveyed have had sexual intercourse.

Between 2004 and 2007, the incidence rate of sexually transmitted infections among females age 10-19 years has increased dramatically, as shown in the table below.

What are the goals of the program?
The goals of the program are to:

• Reduce the number of pregnancies to teenage girls age 15-19 
• Reduce the number of repeat pregnancies to teenage girls age 15-19 
• Reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers age 15-19

Target Audience:
The primary target audience is youth in care and parents.

Current Program Providers:
Currently there are 13 programs housed in the County Health Departments located in Gila, Maricopa, Yuma, Pima, Graham, Greenlee, Apache, Navajo, Cochise, Coconino, La Paz, Mohave and Yavapai Counties. Contracts are also in place with the Navajo Nation and Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona to provide services on Tribal Lands.

Funding:
The teen pregnancy prevention and education programs are funded by state lottery funds. The Arizona Department of Health Services receives funding when there is an excess of lottery dollars after all legally authorized allocations have been made. The funds are used to contract with local communities to develop culturally diverse programs and strategies designed to reduce the incidence of teenage sexual activity and sexually transmitted disease.

Need more information?

Dorothy Hastings, Education Section Manager 150 North 18th Avenue, Suite 320 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: (602) 364-1423 Fax: (602) 364-1496 Email: hastind@azdhs.gov

Angie Lorenzo, Program Manager 150 North 18th Avenue, Suite 320 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: (602) 542-0360 Fax: (602) 364-1494 Email: lorenza@azdhs.gov