Religious activities and health outcomes: the College Bound Sisters Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Adolescent Development

Background:

• Teenage pregnancy poses significant challenges to life trajectories.
• The College Bound Sisters (CBS) program aims to improve outcomes for younger sisters of teenage mothers.
• Health is defined within the CBS program as achieving specific life objectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relationship between religious activities and the program's objectives.
• To determine if religious participation influences pregnancy avoidance, high school completion, and college enrollment.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the CBS program in achieving its goals.

Main Methods:

• Chi-square analysis was used to compare data from 129 CBS members.
• Adolescents were categorized into groups based on pregnancy, school dropout, or high school completion.
• Participation in religious activities was compared across these groups.

Main Results:

• A majority of CBS adolescents reported weekly religious activity.
• No statistically significant difference in religious activity frequency was found among the outcome groups.
• CBS program participants were more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college compared to nonparticipants.

Conclusions:

• While religious activities were common, they did not show a significant direct impact on the program's core objectives.
• The CBS program itself appears effective in promoting high school completion and college enrollment.
• Findings suggest potential implications for integrating religious components into teenage pregnancy prevention strategies.