141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

282860
Sex on the beach, the climax: Themes and recommendations from a study of school-based sexuality education changes in Florida

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Ellen Daley, PhD , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Eric R. Buhi, MPH, PhD , 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
Nicole Brasseur, BPhil , 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
Elizabeth Baker, MPH, CPH , 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
Linsey Grove, BS, CHES , College of Public Health, Community and Family 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
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 summarize findings across the counties examined and provide recommendations for policy/curricular change. In each county, use of language was important. Each side framed their arguments using carefully crafted words intended to invoke a specific message (e.g., "abortion vulnerable," "gay agenda."). Fear was often employed as a tactic used to persuade others in public discourse, in the printed press and at well-attended school board meetings. This was true for those who favored the change (e.g., fear of poor health outcomes) and for those who opposed it (e.g., government intervention in personal matters). The conflicts surrounding the sex-ed changes, sometimes quite contentious, were constructed by key informants as a local battle of a larger culture war. Conflicts were described in terms of ideological differences, geographical origin, social status, and religious freedoms. While each county exhibited a unique set of challenges and arrived at change through very different strategies, there were common themes that arouse in each county.

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

Learning Objectives:
Identify potential strategies to affect policy and curriculum changes of sexuality education in public schools at the local level. Identify barriers to policy and curriculum changes of sexuality education in public schools at the local level.

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.