Engaging vulnerable adolescents in a pregnancy prevention program: perspectives of Prime Time staff.

INTRODUCTION Evaluating interventions for reducing unintended adolescent pregnancy is necessary to ensure quality and efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine core case management practices and processes for engaging high-risk girls in Prime Time, an intensive multi-component intervention from the perspectives of intervention program staff. METHOD Structured individual interviews were conducted with the entire Prime Time program staff (N = 7) to assess successes and challenges in engaging adolescent girls at high risk for early pregnancy. The girls were recruited from school and community clinics. RESULTS Program staff described different capacities of adolescents to engage with the program (those who connected easily, those in the middle range of connecting, and those who had difficulty connecting) and provided specific recommendations for working with the different types of connectors. DISCUSSION Findings from this study support the supposition that persons engaging in preventive interventions with vulnerable groups of adolescents must pay careful attention to strategies for establishing trusting youth-adult relationships. The ability of staff (e.g., case managers and nurses) to engage with adolescents is a crucial step in improving health outcomes. The identified strategies are useful in helping adolescents build skills, motivations, and supports needed for healthy behavior change.