title: Sustaining Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs in Schools: Needs and Barriers Identified by School Leaders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To reduce teen pregnancy rates, prevention programs must be consistently available to large numbers of youth. However, prevention efforts have been historically conducted with little emphasis on ensuring program sustainability. This study examined the needs and barriers to sustaining teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) programming in schools after grant funding has ended, as identified by school leadership.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 11 qualitative interviews were conducted between June and September 2012 with middle school leaders from 11 schools involved in current implementation of a TPP program in South Carolina. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically coded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Identified needs and barriers to sustainability varied across schools. Common barriers to program sustainability included: lack of materials and supplies, insufficient funding (at the school and district level), lack of support and/or parental opposition, and other school/district priorities. School leaders also identified several needs to continue TPP programming, including: continued funding, trainings, outcome/effectiveness data to support the program, and regularly updated curriculum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Schools with greater perceived needs and barriers may be less likely to sustain. Knowledge gained through this research may be used to inform future interventions and sustainability planning efforts, allowing us to maximize prevention programming.
authors.affiliation: South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 1331 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 140, Columbia, SC 29201. lesleyrcraft@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lesley R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Craft
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208. hbrandt@sc.edu.
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.affiliation: Science and Planning, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 1331 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 140, Columbia, SC 29201. mprince@teenpregnancysc.org.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prince
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012574:Schools; D012736:Sex Education; D013022:South Carolina; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: prevention; schools; sustainability; teen pregnancy