researchers designated three groups at each site: high treatment, low treatment, and a comparison group. A baseline pretest was given, as was a posttest following delivery. A third survey was administered at 1 year posttest (79 percent response rate). The two sites had different results at the 1-year follow-up. At the Las Cruces site, contraceptive knowledge had increased among the high-treatment group, but there was no significant difference in sexual behavior. At the Boston site, the low-treatment group scored consistently lower in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior than either the high treatment or comparison groups. The high-treatment group showed no statistically significant differences in behavior from the comparison group.

Miller BC, Dyk PH. Community of Caring effects on adolescent mothers: A program evaluation case study. Fam Relat. 1991;40:386–395.

Summary: Direct mail program for adolescent men designed to increase their knowledge about and access to condoms.

Program: The Condom Mailing Program was a direct mail program initiated in 1987 that was designed to increase knowledge about condoms through an informational packet called The Man's World and to increase access to contraception through an order form for free condoms. The target population was low-income adolescent men aged 16–17. The actual population reached was primarily middle-income rather than low-income men.

Evaluation: The experimental design was developed by randomly dividing a list of names purchased from a list broker into an intervention group (n = 985) and a control group (n = 1,033). The direct mail packet was sent to the intervention group. Both groups were interviewed by telephone 5 weeks after the mailing to elicit information on their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. The researchers reached 86 percent of the sample by telephone. The experiment was doubleblind, in that the interviewer did not know which group the respondent was in, nor did the respondent probably realize that he was part of an experiment. At follow-up, 72 percent of the intervention group recalled receiving the materials; 91 percent of that group read the pamphlet, 36 percent discussed the pamphlet with their parents, and 44 percent discussed it with their friends. As compare d to the control group, men in the intervention group were more likely to be knowledgeable about contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy, although there were no differences in use of contraception. Receiving