Mobilizing communities for teen pregnancy prevention: Associations between coalition characteristics and perceived accomplishments

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. S31 - S41
• Main Authors: Kegler, Michelle C., Williams, Clayton W., Cassell, Carol M., Santelli, John, Kegler, Scott R., Montgomery, Susanne B., Bell, Mary Lou, Martinez, Yolanda G., Klein, Jonathan D., Mulhall, Peter, Will, Jeffry A., Wyatt, Vicki Harris, Felice, Toni L., Hunt, Sharon C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-09-2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescents; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Capacity building approach; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Child; Coalitions; Community based preventive programmes; Community Health Planning - organization & administration; Community Health Planning - standards; Community partnerships; Community-based; Data Collection; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Ethnic Groups; Family planning; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Middle Aged; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - prevention & control; Prevention. Health policy. Planification; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teen pregnancy prevention; Time Factors; United States; Unwanted pregnancy; Youth development; United States; North America; America; Youth development; Teen pregnancy prevention; Coalitions; Community partnerships; Community-based; Social environment; Participation; Self evaluation; Multicenter study; Mental health; Satisfaction; Prevention; Organizational change; Public health; Human; Attitude; Decision making; Social program; Pregnancy; Mobilization; Partnership; Adolescent; Coalition; Early; Social organization; Predictive factor; Viability; Community
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.05.011

To describe coalition membership, examine associations between coalition processes and short-term coalition outcomes, and assess the relative contribution of key coalition processes to perceived accomplishments in teen pregnancy prevention coalitions.
A self-administered survey was distributed to active members of 21 teen pregnancy prevention coalitions in 13 communities. The overall response rate was 67%, with 471 surveys returned. Process measures included staff competence, member influence in decision making, and coalition functioning. Short-term outcome measures included perceived accomplishments, member satisfaction, member participation, and coalition viability.
About 50% of coalition members represented health or teen pregnancy prevention or youth development service organizations, with 13% participating primarily as residents or youth. None of the process measures were associated with coalition viability (defined as active 2 years post-survey). Many bivariate associations between coalition processes and other short-term outcomes were significant at the individual and coalition levels of analysis. In a multivariate random coefficients model, coalition functioning (
p <.001) and member influence in decision making (
p = .019) were significantly associated with perceived coalition accomplishments.
Consistent with research on coalitions that have addressed other health issues, good coalition processes were associated with short-term indicators of effectiveness in these teen pregnancy prevention coalitions. Coalition processes were not associated with coalition viability 2 years post-survey, however, suggesting that other factors influence coalition survival.