Washington, DC – Junior high and middle school aged-girls having participated in the abstinence-based programs of the Best Friends Foundation were less likely–by orders of magnitude–to have sex or use alcohol, drugs, or tobacco than their peers, according to a ground-breaking independent study published in the journal Adolescent & Family Health.

The study, entitled "Can Abstinence Work? An Analysis of the Best Friends Program," authored by Robert Lerner, Ph.D., provides empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of the Best Friends program.

The Best Friends program, currently operating in more than 100 schools across the United States, licenses school systems to use an extensive year-long curriculum and faculty training program that provides the skills, guidance, and support to choose abstinence from sex until marriage and reject illegal drugs, alcohol use, and violence.

"Year after year, adolescent girls in our program have demonstrated that the Best Friends curriculum helps them make confident, healthy choices and reject sexual activity, alcohol, and drugs," said Elayne Bennett, president and founder of the Best Friends Foundation, who, with Dr. Lerner, announced the study in Washington today. "This study provides concrete evidence that Best Friends girls are far less likely to engage in at-risk behavior than their peers."

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, upon learning of the study, said, "I am encouraged by the data from this study, which show the benefits of mentors in inspiring children to make healthy choices for life. I congratulate the Best Friends Foundation for its innovative character-building program, and for helping to bring this important issue to the national stage."

"At the Office of the Surgeon General, we have declared 2005 The Year of the Healthy Child. To ensure the health and well-being of children, we need to give them the best tools to make healthy decisions. Mentors can give young people the hope and guidance they seek to make life's toughest decisions, including delaying sexual activity, eating a healthful diet, getting daily exercise, not smoking, and staying away from drugs and alcohol," Carmona said.

The data analyzed in the study consist of responses of Best Friends program attendees, which are compared to the responses of a sample of girls to the Washington, D.C. Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) results.

The research showed that junior high and middle school-aged girls in the Best Friends program were six and a half times less likely to have sex, about two times less likely to drink alcohol, eight times less likely to use drugs, and more than two times less likely to smoke, compared to their peers.

Adolescent & Family Health is a peer-reviewed quarterly publication of the Institute for Youth Development. It contains objective, scientific research that focuses on factors influencing youth risk behavior and risk avoidance. For additional information, visit www.afhjournal.org.

The Best Friends Foundation was founded in 1987 by Elayne Bennett to provide a nationwide network of programs dedicated to the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents. It provides scientifically researched and developmentally sound curriculum designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. The Foundation promotes self-respect through self-control and provides participants the skills, guidance, and support to choose abstinence from sex until marriage and reject illegal drugs, alcohol use, and violence. In the spirit of true friendship, the programs provide positive peer groups for adolescents and create an environment which raises aspirations and encourages achievement. Best Friends Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, currently serving more than 6,000 adolescents in 17 states including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Nationally, more than 2,000 teacher mentor volunteers and school faculty participate in Best Friends Foundation school-based programs. For additional information, visit www.bestfriendsfoundation.org.

"Promoting abstinence is an important part of reducing risky youth behaviors. Programs like Best Friends send clear and consistent messages about the harms of underage drinking and drug use, and are an important complement to other public health efforts. My experience has been that when we set high expectations for our young people, they usually exceed them."
– John Walters, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

"By providing positive role models and mentors through programs like Best Friends, our young women have a framework for understanding their options to choose positive behaviors and that these positive behaviors will be rewarded by the support of caring adults helping them to achieve their potential through goal-setting for academic and personal achievements."
– J. Robert Flores, Administrator Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

"Nobody should be surprised, but everyone should be pleased by these results. Kids respond to a clear and uncluttered message that abstinence is their best choice, and it will lead them to a brighter future. Best Friends is a solid program that dramatically helps the very groups of young girls who otherwise would be at risk."
– Rep. Ernest J. Istook (R-Okla.)

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