Sexual Health Advocates, Promoters and Educators (SHAPE): Development of a comprehensive sexual health curriculum and peer education program for U.S.-based Latino adolescents using a community-based participatory research approach

As the Latino population grows in the United States, there is a pressing need to develop effective, culturally competent sexual health curricula to prevent and reduce rates of sexually transmitted disease, adolescent pregnancy, and gender-based violence and to create supportive spaces for gender identity exploration. This presentation outlines the developmental stages of a sexual health curriculum for peer promotion called SHAPE (Sexual Health Advocates, Promoters and Educators) that emerged from a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project, Adelante, in Langley Park, MD. SHAPE engaged eight Latino adolescents over the course of five months with the purpose of teaching accurate knowledge related to sexual health and gender equality and, to support the development of leadership skills that would allow youth to promote sexual health education in their community. Following a CBPR approach, stages of development included: consulting with community public health researchers, visiting a local teen health center, reviewing current youth sexual health curricula, engaging with a youth-focused theatre program, promoting sexual health information at a community health fair, and engaging youth participants in the content development for peer workshops. Based on our experiences, we identified recommended practices to follow when using a CBPR approach for the development of a curriculum for sexual health peer promotion among Latino youth. One principal practice emphasizes the constant feedback from community youth and local youth advocates. This presentation also discusses how contextualizing sexual health issues through a social justice framework and collaborating with local health organizations can provide opportunities for youth leadership and personal development.