Elements contributing to the rate of adoption of the Healthy youth act in North Carolina schools
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Virginia Brown (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Robert Strack
Abstract: Teenage pregnancy is a major public health concern facing the United States. To address this, North Carolina passed the Healthy Youth Act, mandating all school districts adopt at minimum abstinence plus reproductive health and safety curriculum. The goal of the study was to apply the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) framework to explain the rate of adoption of the Healthy Youth Act by the school districts. Using a mixed methods approach, a quantitative survey and follow-up interviews were conducted with curriculum coordinators statewide to investigate how the perceived attributes of an innovation contribute to adoption. The survey results indicated that relative advantage and compatibility are significantly associated with policy adoption. This was further supported by the interviews, with participants discussing how the new policy allowed them to better educate and meet the needs of the student population. Finally, perceptions of the community influenced the process undertaken to adopt the policy, leading to greater transparency than necessary. Discussion and conclusion include outreach to policy makers and those in charge of administration and continued/expanded inclusion of the community in policy efforts.
Elements contributing to the rate of adoption of the Healthy youth act in North Carolina schools
PDF (Portable Document Format)
1301 KB
Created on 5/1/2012
Views: 1451
Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2012
- Keywords
- Diffusion of Innovations, Health education, Health policy, Mixed methods, Sexuality
- Subjects
- Sex instruction for youth $x Law and legislation $z North Carolina
- Health education $x Law and legislation $z North Carolina