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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05293145

AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program Evaluation

AVANCE seeks to understand if participation in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures (A-HBF) program is associated with improved outcomes among the target population of at-risk, homeless, and incarcerated youth. Additionally, the evaluation will examine how and why participant-level characteristics such as relationship status, life status, and demographics are associated with greater or lesser benefit from A-HBF program participation. This research will provide insights about the Survival Skills for Healthy Families curriculum and its effectiveness for the target population that can be used in the development of future programming efforts.

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Key information

Conditions

Youth

Age range

14 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

AVANCE-Houston

Houston, Texas, 77092, United States

About this study

Trauma-informed services are needed to improve self-sufficiency, economic stability, and healthy relationships among at-risk, homeless, and incarcerated youth in Harris County, especially those living in areas with high numbers of single-family households, high poverty rates, low educational attainment, high teen pregnancy rates, high incidence of domestic violence, and high involvement with the (juvenile) justice system. AVANCE-Houston's Building Futures program (A-HBF) aims to facilitate successful transitions to adulthood for cohorts of at-risk and homeless youth by offering healthy relationship and marriage education through the Survival Skills for Healthy Families (SSHF) curriculum.

Developed by Family Wellness Associates, SSHF is an evidence-based curriculum delivered through a series of workshops that focus on communication skills, conflict resolution, knowledge of the benefits of marriage, stress and anger management, parenting skills, financial literacy, job and career advancement, and relationship skills to improve family and economic stability. AVANCE will offer the curriculum via weekly workshops for youth that take place in targeted high-need areas.

AVANCE seeks to understand if participation in the A-HBF program is associated with improved outcomes among the target population of at-risk and homeless youth. Additionally, the evaluation will examine how and why participant-level characteristics such as relationship status, life status, and demographics are associated with greater or lesser benefit from A-HBF program participation. This research will provide insights about the SSHF curriculum and its effectiveness for the target population that can be used in the development of future programming efforts.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Youth (aged 14-18)
  • High-needs school districts enrolled in grades 9-12
  • Residing in juvenile detention center

Exclusion criteria

  • Adult (age 19 and older)-youth can be age 18 and enrolled into the study
  • Youth (age 14 and younger)
  • Not enrolled in school (non-incarcerated youth)

Treatment and study plan

Building Futures Program Primary Services

Other

Primary Services Participants receive 14 hours of Survival Skills for Healthy Families curricula delivered over a series of 7 weekly workshops. Participants also receive support services delivered by Family Coaches and Career Coaches as needed.

Primary outcomes

  1. Healthy Partner Relationship Behavior Measurement #1

    Time frame: baseline and follow-up 12-months post-enrollment

    1A) Will participants report healthier partner relationship behaviors after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    5 items - levels of reported skill with key relationship behaviors (categories; 4-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Parenting Behavior Scale #1 as:

    1=I am extremely good at this, 2=I am good at this, 3=I am bad at this, 4=I am extremely bad at this

    The lower the rating, the better the score.

    The construct is created by adding all 5 scores together and dividing by 5. Maximum score: 4.0, minimum score: 1.0

  2. Healthy Partner Relationship Behavior Measurement #2

    Time frame: baseline and follow-up 12-months post-enrollment

    1B) Will participants report healthier partner relationship behaviors after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    6 items - frequency of engagement in key relationship behaviors (categories; 5-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Parenting Behavior Scale #2 as:

    1=none of the time, 2=some of the time, 3=half of the time, 4=most of the time, 5=all of the time The lower the rating, the better the score.

    The construct is created by adding all 6 scores together and dividing by 6. Maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0

Secondary outcomes

  1. Healthy Partner Relationship Attitudes Measurement #1

    Time frame: Change from baseline in partner relationship attitudes to immediately after program completion (7 weeks)

    2A) Will participants report healthier partner relationship attitudes after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    9 items - levels of agreement with relationship beliefs (categories; 4-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Relationship Attitudes Scale #1 as:

    1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3=disagree 4=strongly disagree

    The construct is created by adding all 9 scores together and dividing by 9. Maximum score: 4.0, minimum score: 1.0

    The higher the score, the better the outcome.

  2. Healthy Partner Relationship Attitudes Measurement #2

    Time frame: Change from baseline in partner relationship attitudes to immediately after program completion (7 weeks)

    2B) Will participants report healthier partner relationship attitudes after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    3 items - likelihood of key relationship beliefs (categories; 5-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Relationship Attitudes Scale #2 as:

    1=almost no chance, 2=some chance but probably not, 3=a 50-50 chance, 4=a good chance, 5=almost certain

    The three items are added together and divided by three to get a score. The higher the score, the better the outcome.

    maximum score: 5, minimum score: 1

  3. Healthy Sexual Attitudes Measurement #1

    Time frame: Change from baseline in sexual attitudes from enrollment to immediately after program completion (7 weeks)

    3A) Will participants report healthier sexual attitudes after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    7 items - levels of agreement with key sexual attitudes (categories; 4-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Sexual Attitudes Scale #1 as:

    1=strongly agree, 2=agree, 3=disagree 4=strongly disagree The lower the rating the better the outcome.

    The construct is created by adding all 7 scores together and dividing by 7. Maximum score: 4.0, minimum score: 1.0

  4. Healthy Financial Attitudes Measurement #1

    Time frame: baseline and follow-up at 12-months post-enrollment

    4A) Will participants report healthier financial attitudes after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    8 items - levels of agreement with key financial attitudes (categories; 5-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Financial Attitudes Scale #1 as:

    1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neither agree nor disagree, 4=agree, 5=strongly agree The higher the score, the better the outcome.

    The construct is created by adding all 8 scores together and dividing by 8. Maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0

  5. Healthy Employment Attitudes Measurement #1

    Time frame: Change from baseline in employment attitudes to immediately after program completion (7 weeks)

    5A) Will participants report healthier employment attitudes after they complete primary services and support services in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program?

    Items measured include:

    8 items - levels of agreement with key employment attitudes (categories; 5-point scale)

    Measured on the Healthy Employment Attitudes Scale #1 as:

    1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neither agree nor disagree, 4=agree, 5=strongly agree

    The construct is created by adding all 8 scores together and dividing by 8. The higher the score, the better the outcome.

    Maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Other

Collaborators

  • Avance Clinical Pty Ltd.

Registry information

Official study title

AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program Evaluation

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 24, 2022
Registry last updated
Mar 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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