Life on point youth development program outcomes

The widely implemented Life On Point youth development program is intended to promote youths’ psychosocial development and resistance to health risk behaviors. The program was evaluated following an experimental design, with 77 middle school students randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. ANCOVA analysis of pre- and post-program questionnaire data revealed significant, positive differences between program and control group participants on measures of the program’s targeted outcomes, both in terms of statistical significance and substantial effect sizes. Consistent with previous research, control group participants’ outcome indicators worsened over the course of the evaluation, suggesting that Life On Point and similar positive youth development programs insulate against threats to, as well as promoting, youths’ psychosocial development