141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

282779
Sex on the beach: An in-depth situational analysis of school-based sexuality education changes in Florida

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Eric R. Buhi, MPH, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Ellen Daley, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Nicole Brasseur, BPhil , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Saba Rahman , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Christopher Wheldon, MSPH, MEd , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Elizabeth Baker, MPH, CPH , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Natalie D. Hernandez, MPH , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Krystal J Hill , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Linsey Grove, BS, CHES , College of Public Health, Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Compared with young people across the U.S., Florida youth engage in first sex at younger ages and are less likely to report using condoms/birth control pills at last intercourse. Although school-based sexuality education (sex-ed) is one strategy to address these outcomes, such education is locally determined and inconsistent across the state. Recently, some Florida districts have changed from an abstinence-only approach to a more progressive form of sex-ed. The purpose of this study was to better understand the process of sex-ed curricular/policy change at local levels. We conducted a series of case studies involving multiple phases/data collection methods. First, sex-ed policies from all 67 Florida counties were reviewed to determine if a change occurred in the previous seven years. For each county identified, we conducted a media analysis of local newspaper articles and interviews with key informants. This presentation will provide an overview of the study and a description of methods. Four counties were identified as having recently changed their abstinence-only curriculum/policy: Brevard, Collier, St. Lucie, and Volusia. Based upon the policy review, media analysis, and key informant interviews, we found that Collier changed its sex-ed policy, while the other counties changed curricula. Some changes related to grade level of sex-ed delivery, while others related to sex-ed content. The initiation of change and the roles of key players differed across the four counties. While this multi-phase/method community-based research study presented challenges, our findings provide a model for other state and local stakeholders in examining the process of sex-ed change.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe a model for state and local stakeholders to examine the processes of sexuality education curricula and policy change at local levels.

Keywords: School Health, Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Co-Principal Investigator of this $300,000 Ford Foundation-funded project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.