Presentations

Abstract

Background:

Although high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been consistently reported in Eastern Virginia, access to comprehensive sex education (CSE) for adolescents is limited due to socioeconomic, cultural, and structural barriers. The Teen Health 360 program adopted the Get Real Comprehensive Sex Education That Works curriculum for pilot among adolescents. This study examined the effect of the program on sexual health knowledge among middle school program participants.

Methods:

Participants were recruited between May 2021 and August 2023 through various channels, using a parent opt-in form. Academy sessions were delivered online or in-person by trained health educators. Program monitoring data was collected using pre- and post-assessments, fidelity logs, and participant feedback forms. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were performed to examine differences in sexual health knowledge between pre- and post-assessment, and differential changes across sub-groups of program participants.

Results:

Among the 296 Grade-six program participants, 209 completed the pre-assessment and 181 completed the post-assessment. Significant increases were revealed in knowledge related to anatomy and reproduction (mean scores: 3.16 vs 4.35) with the increase being larger among in-person participants (52%), relative to virtual participants (29%) and among African American (47%), relative to Asian/Pacific-Islander (36%), White (31%) and adolescents of other race/ethnicity (31%). Over 90% adolescents said they were glad they attended the pilot program and would recommend it to their peers.

Conclusions:

This program is a feasible and effective approach to increase knowledge about puberty, developmental, and sexual health among adolescents under the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.