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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Leslie M. Kantor, MPH and William F. Bacon, PhD. Education and Training Department, Planned Parenthood of New York City, 26 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012, 212-274-7320, leslie.kantor@ppnyc.org
In recent years, the gap between science and policy related to sexuality education has grown significantly, as has the gap between policy and public opinion. Over $100 million in federal funding has been designated for unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage education programs that withhold information about pregnancy and STD prevention. Although polls have shown consistently that there is widespread support for broader sexuality education programs, the public has not mobilized to oppose the government’s funding of abstinence-only programs. We report our research involving six focus groups and a nationally representative poll of 800 members of the engaged public. Results suggest several ways to better articulate the need for age-appropriate sexuality education and to illuminate the limitations of abstinence-only approaches. The survey includes an equal number of men and women and split sampling to test terminology that resonates with the public as well as questions related to what types of actions people are likely to take to let policy makers know about their views. We will also share the mobilizing messages that were developed as a result of the research.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Education, Adolescent Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.