Nearly one million teenagers get pregnant every year, and about 450,000 give birth, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Three million teens will get syphilis, AIDS, or some other sexual disease.

UT School of Public Health assistant professor Ron Peters has helped establish a national intervention program called Project Alpha that educates high school boys about their role in responsible sexual behavior. Houston is one of more than 500 sites across the country taking part in Project Alpha, sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha, an international fraternity of largely African-American men active in community affairs, and the March of Dimes.

Sex education in public schools has traditionally focused more on teaching pregnancy prevention to girls than to boys, says Peters,
"and the girl is usually blamed when she gets pregnant. But it takes two
to tango."

Members of the fraternity with backgrounds in health education and law go into public high schools and talk to boys about sexuality, their role in relationships, and fatherhood. In Houston, sexuality discussions have been held in Yates, Kashmere, Madison and Westbury High Schools, among others.