Limited research is available on the acceptability of comprehensive sex education for economically marginalized Black youth. The current evaluation study collected quantitative selfreport data from 109 high-school-aged predominately Black or African American economically marginalized youth after completing a comprehensive sex education program. Youth reported positive experiences with the program, improvement in socioemotional skill development, and increases in sexual risk avoidance behavior. Youth report of quality of experience predicted youth sexual risk avoidance. These findings serve as evidence for tailoring comprehensive sex education programs to youth demographic variables.
African-American and Latino youth in the United States demonstrate higher teen pregnancy rates than national averages; in South Florida, teens are documented as having disproportionately higher rates of STIs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020; Florida Department of Health, 2019, 2020, 2021; Kearney & Levine, 2012). These and other indicators reflect a substantial need for the youth demographic of South Florida to have exposure to culturally aligned Sexual Risk Avoidance Education programming that is medically accurate and has been proven effective, backed by peer-reviewed studies (Diclemente et al., 2005; Diaz, 2018). To positively impact youth, targeted youth must build a strong foundation on a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, self-confidence, and self-esteem. The Values in Perspective (VIP) youth development/abstinence program, developed by Recapturing the Vision (RTV) to robustly tackle the issue of higher teen pregnancy along with STI rates manifested in high-poverty environments residing African-American and Latino youth populations in the two largest counties of the South Florida region (Miami-Dade & Broward).
The VIP program had a strong and lasting impact on changing attitudes towards delaying risky behaviors, both until college and until marriage, across all measured time points!!!
