Effects of a parenting sexual education program for immigrant parents: A cluster randomized trial

Objectives: The aim was to assess the effects of a parental sex education program on knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and practices among immigrant parents. Methods: A cluster randomized trial was conducted at immigrant activity centers in northern Taiwan. Recruited participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (four centers, n = 86) or control (four centers, n = 67) group. A practical booklet and a booster session were delivered. In total, 132 participants’ knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and practice of parenting sexual education were examined at the baseline and 6 weeks after the intervention. Results: After controlling for possible confounders, the posttest scores of self-efficacy of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group. The Johnson-Neyman procedure indicated that the intervention was effective for participants who had pretest knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of <14.62, <110.27, and <41.5, respectively. Conclusions: An intervention with both practical booklet and booster session can improve knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and practices of parental sex education among immigrant parents. Practice implications: In addition to practical booklets, health care professionals should provide booster sessions that meet the needs of immigrant parents to prevent sexual problems among children and adolescents at an early age.