Rebeca Cerna, Senior Research Associate with the Health & Justice Program (HJP) at WestEd, will lead a roundtable discussion at the 2018 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, November 10–14, in San Diego, California.
Research has shown that youth living within the juvenile justice system have higher instances of unplanned teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Researchers and evaluators from the WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center, housed within HJP, are currently evaluating a tablet-based app designed to curb unplanned teen pregnancy by educating young males, ages 14–19, who are living in juvenile justice facilities across the state of Oregon. Through games, interactive scenarios, and short videos, the Healthy U app provides information about puberty, sexual health, sexual consent, and healthy relationships. The app is one of the first such interventions designed specifically for young males in a juvenile justice environment.
The roundtable will discuss:
- How system-involved youth contributed to the development of the app
- How the app was tailored to work within juvenile justice facilities
- Key implementation findings and feedback from youth who used the app will also be presented
The roundtable discussion, Promoting Sexual Health Among Oregon Juvenile Offenders, will be held on November 13, from 10:30am to 12:00pm.