Latina/o adolescents experience higher rates than their non-Latino peers for births, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Despite the significant influence of the Latino family on adolescent behavior, the role of parent-adolescent communication about sexual health protection has not been widely explored. This developmental and exploratory intervention research will test the feasibility of a Photovoice approach to improve Latino parents'communication with their high school adolescents about sexuality and sexual health, as well as to increase understanding of the use of research to support the integration of sexual health education into the high school curriculum. The impetus for this intervention emerged from Latino members of the Public Health Club, a student-led organization at the Springfield High School of Science and Technology. Students from the Public Health Club sought the support of the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health, and the Springfield Health Center of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) to pursue their ideas.
The specific aims of this project are: (1) to establish a community partnership in Springfield, MA for participatory action research and scientific literacy focused on Latino youth sexual health protection, (2) to engage community partners in a participatory-action ethnographic analysis of facilitators and barriers to Latino/a parent-adolescent communication about sexuality, sexual health protection, and comprehensive sexuality education in high school, and (3) to develop and test the feasibility of an intervention protocol (Para un Futuro Mejor, or For a Better Future) to educate Latino/a parent-child dyads about utilizing research data to promote youth sexual health and to increase access to comprehensive sexual health education in public schools. We focus on the transmission of beliefs, values and norms from parents to their adolescents, and their influence on communication about sexual health. Protocols and procedures for the 12-week intervention will be developed in conjunction with PPLM and the community partnership to ensure feasibility in content, context and process. Intervention participants will be recruited from the same combined pool of candidates available through the community partnership. Parents will engage in the own skills training workshops (""""""""Talleres"""""""") for the first five sessions to build their communication skills and then partner with their adolescent children to use Photovoice to deliver information about sexual health to peers and other influentials in their community. Narrative: This project tests the feasibility of a Photovoice approach to improve Latino parent-adolescent communication about sexual health and to increase understanding of the use of research to support comprehensive sexual health education in the high school curriculum.
