Background: The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young adults in Miami Dade County continues to rise, demonstrating a need for improved sex education and access to STI screening and treatment.
Methods: A single-session, comprehensive sex education program was developed by medical students at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and delivered to middle and high school students in Miami over a 30 month period. A ten-question STI knowledge test was conducted pre and post intervention. Matched pairs t-test was performed to assess the curriculum’s ability to improve student knowledge, and a Likert-type scale (1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)) was used to rate presentation quality by public school teachers who witnessed the intervention.
Results: Pre and post-intervention knowledge surveys (n=355) demonstrated immediate post-intervention knowledge gains by students (p < 0.0001). The mean of the scores improved from 4.56 (SD 2.18) on the pre-test to 8.00 (SD 2.48) on the post-test. On average, classroom teachers (n=13) rated the quality of intervention content 4.62 and the overall quality of the presentation 4.85.
Discussions: Teens continue to be infected with STIs at high rates. This school-based, comprehensive sex education program implemented by medical students is a high quality intervention that effectively improves knowledge about STIs and methods to prevent them among teens. Further research is needed to assess the impact of this intervention on behavior and STI screening and acquisition.
Keywords: Sex education
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2016, Student, Resident, Faculty, Medical Knowledge, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, UME, Public Health, Sexuality,
Lydia Fein, MD, MPH, Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami; Adriana Bracho, BS; Jessica Brosch, BS; Matthew Cranshaw, MS; Monica Broome, MD; Christopher Estes, MD, MPH
