Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116634

Haydee Morales, MA¹, Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD², Jacqueline Hart, PhD¹, William F. Bacon, PhD³, Michele Bayley, MPH¹, Yael Lipton, MA, CHES³, Angela Cummings³, Dana Czucka³, Roger Rathman³, and Amanda Perez, MPH¹. (1) Planned Parenthood of New York City, 349 East 149th Street, 3rd floor, Bronx, NY 10451, 212.965.4878, Amanda.Perez@ppnyc.org, (2) School of Social Work & Population and Family Health, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, (3) Education and Training Department, Planned Parenthood of New York City, 26 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012

Background: Planned Parenthood of New York City implemented a community based social marketing campaign to reinforce healthy social norms that exist in the Lower East Side of NYC. During two years, PPNYC worked to develop two campaigns that would reinforce positive communication and parenting strategies used by caregivers to protect young people from early sexual activity.

Methods: Information from parent focus groups resulted in a carefully crafted community wide survey instrument administered to 450 randomly selected parents. Using data collected, and in consultation with the program's Social Norms Advisory Groups, PPNYC created culturally and linguistically appropriate social marketing campaigns in targeted housing complexes to correct commonly held misperceptions about protective parenting practices.

Results: The campaign was implemented in three Housing Developments reaching 15,000 residents. In an assessment of 30 specific protective parenting behaviors, each behavior assessed for actual frequency, and perceived frequency of “most other parents” in the community, we found large misperceptions exist regarding what most parents think other parents are doing to help keep their children from engaging in sexual risk behavior.

Conclusion: An emerging body of research and theory suggests a cost-effective new paradigm that has the potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of sexual health education. This social norms approach, focuses on the profound impact misperceptions have on sexuality related attitudes and behaviors of teens and parents. The results of this project have widespread implications for policy makers and program planners in the adolescent sexual and reproductive health field.

Learning Objectives:

(
• Describe the intervention testing the social norms approach through a community-wide survey to determine the actual prevalence of a variety of protective parenting practices to reduce sexual risk taking amongst adolescents (
• Describe findings on perceived norms related to positive parenting practices among a sample of 450 mothers/female guardians of adolescents; (
• Discuss an effective campaign to counter commonly held parental misperceptions about the status of parenting practices that help their children remain sexually healthy.

Keywords: Sexuality, Social Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.