In 1999, 134 agencies, funded by California Department of Health Services’ Community Challenge Grant, conducted programs intended to reduce teenage pregnancy and promote responsible parenting. Twenty-five of these programs provided services for parents of adolescents at risk of early childbearing. These programs aimed to encourage parental involvement in adolescents’ lives and to promote increased parent-child communication, particularly concerning sexuality/sexual behavior. To determine the effects of these programs, 358 parents of adolescents completed pretest and posttest surveys. The 18-question survey measured parents’ attitudes and behaviors in relation to adolescent sexuality and sex education. The survey specifically measured parents’ attitudes toward their children’s sexual behavior; parents’ knowledge about reproductive health issues; parents’ attitudes toward sexuality education for teens; and parent-child communication regarding sexuality/sexual behavior. Following participation in CCG programs, parents’ knowledge of reproductive health issues increased significantly (27% between pre-/posttest; p=0.001), as did parents’ reported communication with their children about sexuality/sexual behavior (18% increase; p=0.001). Furthermore, parents’ attitudes toward school-based sex education also changed. After participating in CCG programs, more parents reported that educational efforts should include a greater variety of information, such as building healthy relationships, in addition to basic reproduction and the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. The effects of parental ethnicity and gender on attitudes and communication levels were also examined. These findings suggest that programs targeting parents of adolescents are an effective approach to increasing parent-child communication about sexual behaviors and parental support for school-based comprehensive sexuality education, which can ultimately contribute to reduced teen pregnancy rates.
Learning Objectives: 1) Describe the effects of programs targeting parents on their attitudes and behaviors in relation to adolescent sexuality and sex education. 2) Describe how the involvement of parents in community-based teen pregnancy prevention programs contributes to increased parent-child communication about sexuality and sexual behavior. 3) Describe the effects of ethnicity and gender on parents’ attitudes toward adolescent sexuality and sexual behavior.
Keywords: Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Community Programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: California Department of Health Services Community Challenge Grant and select fundees (none of whom will be individually identified).
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Evaluator/Researcher