Data Collecting Methods: Getting Down To Basics

This resource corresponds to Module 6.

What are the major goals and objectives or your coalition?
Goals were similar across coalitions (see Table 1 below for a list of common goals). Most were taken from the Teen Challenge Fund RFP. The first five goals listed below are required by the State Department of Public Health (SDPH).

Table 1: Major Coalition Goals

Goal	Number of Coalitions
To improve community awareness and responsibility regarding the risks and costs associated with teen pregnancy (1)	10
To delay the onset of sexual activity in pre-adolescent and adolescent males and females (1)	10
To increase the number of youth who receive comprehensive health and sexuality education (1)	9
To improve the coordination and linkage of services for pregnant and parenting adolescents (1)	8
To reduce the number of teen pregnancies and other at-risk sexual behaviors (1)	7
To increase youth activities and resources for prevention of teen pregnancy and other high-risk behaviors	2
To increase the influence of youth in the community and to learn about and protect youths’ civil rights; to increase youth political awareness and advocacy skills	2
To advocate for needed school services related to teen pregnancy issues, i.e., updated and appropriate health/sex education, child care for teens, etc.	1
To increase the number of events that link prevention issues and increase after-school and weekend prevention activities for youth	1
To involve youth in positive peer leadership roles through planning, peer education, media training, youth theater, and local youth boards	1
To increase training opportunities in pregnancy prevention for at-risk youth through workshops and trainings and through our subcontracted programs	1

(1)This goal is required by the SDPH.

One coalition did not cite any of these common goals. Instead, it cited the following:

To promote community awareness and education through volunteer sub-committee project activities
To develop and implement primary prevention geared particularly to youth

Another coalition stated that its goals are to initiate and support programs, improve coordination and service delivery, and implement strategies to (1) reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy, low birth weight, and infant mortality among local families; and (2) increase the access to services and enhance life opportunities for pregnant and parenting teens.

One coalition also came up with additional guiding principles through focus groups with members. These principles focus on the following: creating an environment and community where all teens can reach their potential and become active contributing members of the community; developing strategies that take into account the economic, social, political, emotional, and educational needs of all teens in the community; paying particular attention to the teens in the Latino community and developing culturally sensitive strategies; developing a community education plan that is non-judgmental and promotes positive options for teens; developing prevention messages addressed to both boys and girls; and, emphasizing that sexuality education is an important component of any prevention plan, but only if accompanied by strategies that help teens establish a strong self-image, an ability to make good decisions, and a positive sense of alternatives to early parenting.

Which prevention activities and services have been provided by your coalition or its subcontractors during the current SDPH funding period? Below is a list of examples of activities and services provided by coalitions and their subcontractors during the past year. It is not meant to be exhaustive, but instead gives a general picture of the type of services:

Academic enrichment programs
After-school recreation and education programs
Case management and review
Coalition meetings/networks
College fairs/tours
Community education by and for youth
Community education by the coalition for the general community
Community workshops
Decision-making, refusal skills, etc., training
Development of an educational video
Field trips
Health and sex education (e.g., HIV/AIDS education)
Health education classes in schools
Information and referral
Media events
Mentoring
Newsletter production and distribution
Outreach
Parenting education and mother/daughter groups
Peer education
Peer leadership training/youth community action planning
Prevention workshops
Production of teen information guides
Program coordination
Public awareness events
Referral and follow-up to family planning services
Resource manual production and distribution
Support groups
Workshops on teen dating violence prevention
Youth conferences
Youth-led parent-teen communication workshops

Please describe the process by which these activities and services were chosen.
Seven coordinators stated that the previous year's activities were chosen during the creation of the yearly Action Plan. Two other coordinators stated that the activities were chosen during the RFP process for subcontractors. Information for three coalitions was unavailable.

There were two types of approaches described by eight of the coordinators to suggest and choose activities (specific information for four coalitions was unavailable). Two of these eight coordinators stated that the creation of the Action Plan (or the choice of subcontractors to provide activities and services) was a "top down" process. That is, the coordinator may have looked at statistics and results from the previous year's work. This information was then provided to the decision-making committee, along with suggestions for targeting specific needs in the community. The committee then created a framework for the new year and completed the Action Plan.

The six other coalitions used more of a "bottom up" approach. In this somewhat less-structured approach, individuals in a coalition and its committees provided input to the decision-making committee about the activities they would like to undertake in the next year. It was then up to the decision-making committee, and ultimately the staff, to create the Action Plan.

Which prevention models underlie these activities?
To reiterate, the researchers found that coordinators did not share a common, consistent understanding of coalition dimensions such as prevention "models." For example, when asked about the prevention models that underlie coalition activities, coordinators often focused on strategies rather than theoretical models.

Most coordinators did not cite theoretical models as the basis for selecting coalition activities. In fact, three stated that they do not use any specific models. Two coordinators, concerned by this situation, stated that they were in the planning stages of developing theoretical models to guide activity selection and development, and that they were looking at national studies to select model programs that are theoretically grounded. Table 2 provides a list of the types of responses given by coordinators when asked about guiding principles for coalition activities and programs.

Table 2: Prevention "Model" Used by Coalitions (2)

Prevention "Models"	Number of Coalitions
Assumption that youth at risk for early pregnancy are also at risk for other problems. Because there are common risk factors, we must look for services that reduce risk factors and increase resiliency factors.	2
Peer leadership and planning	2
Accessible to all (no cost)	1
General theory is that by empowering youth, they will achieve varied positive outcomes and will be more receptive to specific programs such as those that disseminate information about safe sex.	1
Grassroots	1
Importance of a significant relationship between youth and caring adults	1
Peer influence	1
Prevention/intervention model focusing on adolescents who are/are not sexually active	1
Youth–adult collaboration	1

(2) As previously mentioned, coordinators differed in their interpretation of the term "model."

Which prevention activities do your coalition, including any subcontractors, plan to provide in the next year?
Nine coordinators reported that, at the time of the interview, they were in the process of planning for next year and revising their Action Plan. Four stated that their activities would most likely be similar to those in the previous year, while two indicated that they would most likely have new subcontractors in the upcoming year who would provide new and different programs.