A Parent Child Program to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Infectious Disease |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Immunology / Infectious Diseases |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - Any |
| Updated: | 4/21/2016 |
| Start Date: | January 2013 |
| End Date: | April 2013 |
While the U.S. teen birth rate is currently at its lowest level, it remains high in relation
to other industrialized countries and continues to be a public health concern due to health
risks for teen mothers and their babies, and associated social and economic costs. Parental
monitoring, supervision, and open communication about sexual issues have been found to be
protective factors for adolescent sexual activity and pregnancy. Our theoretically based
Internet program for parents of pre-adolescent children aged 10-14, Let's Talk about Sex, is
designed to build parental communication, knowledge, and attitudes to discuss sensitive
topics with their child, including sexuality, pregnancy prevention, and preventing sexually
transmitted illnesses (STIs). This age group of children was selected because parental
communication about pregnancy and STI prevention will be most effective if initiated prior
to, rather than after, the age when children commonly become sexually active. The "Let's
Talk about Sex" program is grounded in behavior change theory and incorporates the use of
video for behavioral modeling and emotional support.
to other industrialized countries and continues to be a public health concern due to health
risks for teen mothers and their babies, and associated social and economic costs. Parental
monitoring, supervision, and open communication about sexual issues have been found to be
protective factors for adolescent sexual activity and pregnancy. Our theoretically based
Internet program for parents of pre-adolescent children aged 10-14, Let's Talk about Sex, is
designed to build parental communication, knowledge, and attitudes to discuss sensitive
topics with their child, including sexuality, pregnancy prevention, and preventing sexually
transmitted illnesses (STIs). This age group of children was selected because parental
communication about pregnancy and STI prevention will be most effective if initiated prior
to, rather than after, the age when children commonly become sexually active. The "Let's
Talk about Sex" program is grounded in behavior change theory and incorporates the use of
video for behavioral modeling and emotional support.
"Let's Talk about Sex" was designed to help parents talk to their 10- to 14-year old
children about sex and relationships. The goal of the program for the parent was to build
skills to communicate effectively with their children about parental values and about issues
relating to sexuality, specifically by: a) increasing communication with their child about
sexuality; b) increasing behavioral intentions to communicate; c) decreasing perceived
barriers to communicating about sexuality; (d) increasing perceived sense of
importance/motivation for communicating about sexuality; and e) increasing knowledge about
risks of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitting infections (STIs). The goal of the
intervention for the child was to increase child-parent communication about sexuality
issues.
Program content was derived from the research literature; focus group findings, and input
from professional consultants, experts in the field with extensive experience working with
communication about sexuality. Modifications to content and program format were made based
on iterative usability testing.
The parents' program was structured around five sessions, which guided the user through a
topic-oriented experience of the content. The program used text, video narration, and video
testimonials to present the intervention material. Emails were sent to users weekly for 8
weeks, with a link to a recommended session. Users could also browse the content freely as
desired. Topics for parents included (1) Influencing your child's decisions about sex; (2)
Understanding your own sexual values and beliefs; (3) Helping your child prepare for
adolescence; (4) Preventing pregnancy and disease; and (5) Healthy relationships. Parents
who responded to a values and beliefs quiz within the "Understanding your own sexual values
and beliefs" section were presented with recommended articles tailored to their responses.
The child's intervention was structured as one session with four brief topics: (1) a
whiteboard animation titled "How to talk to your parents about sex and not die of
embarrassment"; (2) an article about bodily changes related to puberty; (3) a "What's most
important to me" quiz; and (4) an article about healthy relationships.
children about sex and relationships. The goal of the program for the parent was to build
skills to communicate effectively with their children about parental values and about issues
relating to sexuality, specifically by: a) increasing communication with their child about
sexuality; b) increasing behavioral intentions to communicate; c) decreasing perceived
barriers to communicating about sexuality; (d) increasing perceived sense of
importance/motivation for communicating about sexuality; and e) increasing knowledge about
risks of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitting infections (STIs). The goal of the
intervention for the child was to increase child-parent communication about sexuality
issues.
Program content was derived from the research literature; focus group findings, and input
from professional consultants, experts in the field with extensive experience working with
communication about sexuality. Modifications to content and program format were made based
on iterative usability testing.
The parents' program was structured around five sessions, which guided the user through a
topic-oriented experience of the content. The program used text, video narration, and video
testimonials to present the intervention material. Emails were sent to users weekly for 8
weeks, with a link to a recommended session. Users could also browse the content freely as
desired. Topics for parents included (1) Influencing your child's decisions about sex; (2)
Understanding your own sexual values and beliefs; (3) Helping your child prepare for
adolescence; (4) Preventing pregnancy and disease; and (5) Healthy relationships. Parents
who responded to a values and beliefs quiz within the "Understanding your own sexual values
and beliefs" section were presented with recommended articles tailored to their responses.
The child's intervention was structured as one session with four brief topics: (1) a
whiteboard animation titled "How to talk to your parents about sex and not die of
embarrassment"; (2) an article about bodily changes related to puberty; (3) a "What's most
important to me" quiz; and (4) an article about healthy relationships.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Parent or guardian with a child 10-14 years of age
- Parent / guardian must be over the age of 18
- Child must live with the parent participating in the study at least 50% of the time
Exclusion Criteria:
- Parents or guardians with a child not fitting within the specified age range
- Parents or guardians whose child does not live with him/her at least 50% of the time
- Parents or guardians younger than 18 years old; due to online nature of the
evaluation, we were unable to verify parental consent
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