%0 Journal Article
%T Impact of a parent-child sexual communication campaign: results from a controlled efficacy trial of parents
%A Kevin C Davis
%A Jonathan L Blitstein
%A W Douglas Evans
%A Kian Kamyab
%J Reproductive Health
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1742-4755-7-17
%X Our study consists of a randomized efficacy trial of PSUNC messages under controlled conditions. A sample of 1,969 parents was randomly assigned to treatment (PSUNC exposure) and control (no exposure) conditions. Parents were surveyed at baseline, 4 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months post-baseline. Linear regression procedures were used in our analyses. Outcome variables included self-efficacy to communicate with child, long-term outcome expectations that communication would be successful, and norms on appropriate age for sexual initiation. We first estimated multivariable models to test whether these cognitive variables predict parent-child communication longitudinally. Longitudinal change in each cognitive variable was then estimated as a function of treatment condition, controlling for baseline individual characteristics.Norms related to appropriate age for sexual initiation and outcome expectations that communication would be successful were predictive of parent-child communication among both mothers and fathers. Treatment condition mothers exhibited larger changes than control mothers in both of these cognitive variables. Fathers exhibited no exposure effects.Results suggest that within a controlled setting, the "wait until older norm" and long-term outcome expectations were appropriate cognitions to target and the PSUNC media materials were successful in impacting them, particularly among mothers. This study highlights the importance of theoretical frameworks for parent-focused campaigns that identify appropriate behavioral precursors that are both predictive of a campaign's distal behavioral outcome and sensitive to campaign messages.Early debut of sexual activity is associated with greater risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as well as unwanted pregnancy among teens in the United States. While the prevalence of sexual intercourse and pregnancy among teens has declined significantly in the United States since the early 1990s [1,2
%U http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/7/1/17