This act provides funds for over 900 programs across the nation. Annual award amounts vary widely from state to state ranging from $50,000 to $800,000. States have awarded grants to community based organizations, local school districts, health departments, faith based organizations, universities and others. The funding guidelines encourage states to fund grantees efforts directed at local priority needs. Local grantees use funds for community based projects, as well as for evaluation and program monitoring, technical assistance training, media campaigns, advisory councils, resource and communication networks, toll free hotlines and satellite conferences.

Most of these programs aim their message at middle school students. Some target a wider audience starting younger and longer.

The three research questions addressed by this study are:

• What are the nature and underlying theories of the abstinence education programs supported with Section 510 funding?
• What are the implementation and operational experiences of local communities and schools that have received Section 510 abstinence education funding?
• What are the impacts of abstinence education programs?
  • How successful are they in changing the knowledge, attitudes, and intentions of youth?
  • How successful are they in reducing teen sexual activity among youth?
  • How do they change the risk of pregnancy and STDs?

The “A-H definition” (Title V Section 510 (b)(2)(A-H) of the Social Security Act), specifies that an abstinence education program funded under the block grant must:
A Have as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity
B Teach abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school-age children
C Teach that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems
D Teach that a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of sexual activity
E Teach that sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects
F Teach that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society
G Teach young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances
H Teach the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.

Educational Activities
Evaluation of abstinence education programs.

Social/Support Services
Community wide initiatives to increase public awareness of the problems of teen sexual activity, to change community norms and attitudes, to encourage stronger parent-child communications, and to engage youth in abstinence education and support services.

Program documents describe staff qualifications and background, present staff training materials, and include written communications among abstinence providers.

Sample enrollments: Fall 99/Spring 00 (n=1,040); Fall 00 (n=901); Fall 01 (n=1,359).

Three cohorts of students enrolled in the study sample:Cohort 1: Fall 99/Spring 00; Fall 00; Spring/Fall 02;Cohort 2: Fall 00; Spring 01; Fall 03;Cohort 3: Fall 01; Spring 02; Fall 03

• Section 510 abstinence funds are changing the local landscape of approaches to teenage pregnancy prevention and youth risk avoidance. All states applied for funding at some point and are using the monies in innovative ways to promote abstinence as the healthiest choice for youth.
• Most abstinence education programs offer more than a single message of abstinence. Examples of the curricula and program components from sites show the often diverse, creative and complex nature of the initiatives.
• Most participants report favorable feelings about their program experience. Participants respond especially to staff who show strong and unambiguous commitment to the abstinence message.
• Abstinence education programs face real challenges addressing peer pressure and the communication gulf between parents and children.
• Local schools are valuable program partners, but establishing these partnerships is sometimes difficult.

• Each of the four programs show evidence of having increased the level of health, family life, and sex education services youth received during their first year of program participation relative to that received by the control group.
• There is evidence that the programs affected in intended ways youth's views on abstinence and teen sex and their perceptions of potential negative consequences of teen and nonmarital sex.
• There is limited evidence of program impacts on both dating and expectations to abstain.
• Program and control group youth reported similarly on the remaining measures examined including their views on marriage, self-concept, refusal skills, communication with parents, perceptions of peer pressure to have sex, and the extent to which their friends hold supportive views of abstinence.