A Parent-Child Program to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will develop and evaluate a theoretically-based interactive multimedia program for use by parents and their adolescent children (10-14 years of age) to prevent adolescent pregnancy. The program will include behaviorally focused communication skills training and educational content that is designed to support parental values regarding sexual behavior of their child. Educational content will include information on effective parental monitoring and networking strategies and information about puberty. In addition, program content will be targeted by (a) parental race/ethnicity (i.e., African-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic), (b) parental gender, and (c) gender of the child. When complete, this comprehensive program will include an Internet/CD-ROM component for use by the parent, another for use by the child and finally, a DVD for the parent and child to view together. A stand-alone DVD program suitable for home DVD players will be created for group presentations and families without access to computers or the Internet. The program will be designed to effectively address the knowledge deficits of both parents and their children, and provide training and modeling in effective communication between the parent and child that are consistent with the parent's values regarding adolescent sexual behavior. It will be appropriate for use in a broad range of settings (e.g., homes, worksites, health, and community organizations). The Phase II will be evaluated in a randomized trial with parents and children across the United States. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: While rates of teen pregnancy have declined in the past 10 years, this is still an important issue for families of preadolescents and teens. Parents have the potential to positively influence their child's values around pregnancy prevention and sexual activity. This project will produce an interactive multimedia (IMM) program to assist and facilitate discussions about sexuality and pregnancy prevention between parents and their children. The program will be delivered via CD-ROM, Internet, and DVD formats and will be appropriate for families with children aged 10-14, with the ultimate goal of promoting parent/child relationships and reducing rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.