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For the phase II of the A Healthy Baby Begins with You campaign we are getting more involved with the college-age population per se and to educate them as a link or ambassadors to target their peers who are not attending college. Message number one is, of course, preconception health and care.

Working with the college age population, and enlisting college students as peer educators not only in college campuses but also in the community at large will help disseminate essential preconception health messages that may seem too foreign for a population that may not be actively seeking to start a family. Because over 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned, it is imperative to provide all women, and in particular sexually active women and their partners, with information to make timely, informed decisions about their reproductive futures.

The Preconception Peer Educators (PPE) Program was launched with a two-day training at Howard University, August 8-9, 2008, for the first crop of peer educators who would be training their peers at each of the pilot sites.

Goals of the Preconception Peer Educators (PPE) Training

1. Reach the college-age (black) population with targeted health messages emphasizing preconception health and healthcare.
2. Train minority college students – blacks in particular – as peer educators.
3. Arm the peer educators with materials, activities and exercises to train their peers in college and in the community at large.

Key Concepts for the Training

1. Health disparities and minority health
2. Infant mortality
3. African American health status and its impact on infant mortality
4. Preconception health, infant mortality and prematurity – What research says
5. Preconception care
6. HIV, STDs and preconception health
7. What a man would do

Pilot Project Preconception Peer Educators (PPE) Training

OMH, in partnership with Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), CityMatCH, and March of Dimes, is conducting a pilot of the Preconception Peer Educators Program on college’s campuses this September, for Infant Mortality Awareness Month.

Once trained in the preconception curriculum, the college students will receive a Certificate of Completion. OMH and its partners will link the students with Healthy Start Programs, State/City Health Departments, State OMHs and community based organizations for placement in summer internships, volunteer or paid work opportunities.

Pilot Sites

1. Fisk University and Meharry Medical College – Nashville, Tenn.
2. Spelman College , Atlanta
3. Morgan State University , Baltimore, Maryland
4. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA

If you are interested in more information about this program, or your school will like to be involved in the future, please emails us at info@omhrc.gov.