research: a teen's friends

Although peers are powerful social factors in a teen's life, programs can help teens cope with or resist peer pressure to have sex.

Programs That Work

Peer leadership and education is frequently cited as a natural strategy for reducing risk behaviors among teens. According to the experts, the most fertile ground for changing behaviors is a climate of trust and sense of community so who better than peers to create that type of environment? Further, altering something as basic and defining as peer norms can 't be done externally it's an inside job.

Interestingly, our perceptions of just how influential peers are may be incorrect. Fifty percent of teens said they trust their parents for reliable information on birth control, while only 12% said a friend (Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Parenting Survey).

PrimeTime

The best peer education programs rely on youth development approaches. The University of Minnesota Pregnancy Prevention Research Center's "PrimeTime" program is an excellent model.

In addition to a comprehensive health interview and one-on-one case management, PrimeTime trains and employs teens as peer health educators and involves them in youth leadership teams. Their strategy for positive outcomes: a fusion of sexuality-focused learning with service learning.

In PrimeTime, teens learn, then master subject matter. They are awarded responsibility, and sometimes salary, for outreach work.

This simple process increases the teen's competence and self-confidence. They make connections with others and experience being needed by others.

Like many programs, peer education and peer leadership programs have varying results. But one finding is consistent these programs provide immense benefit to the teens involved as leaders or educators.