Engagement of Parents in an Evidence-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program for Native American Adolescents

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Research identifies parents as the largest influence of youth sexual activity. Sexual health promotion programs that engage youth and parents together are needed, especially for Native American youth who experience large sexual health disparities. This study assesses the feasibility and impact of engaging a parent or "trusted adult" in the parent-youth session of a teen pregnancy prevention program for Native adolescents. METHODS: Participants include (N = 266) Native adolescents (mean age = 13.3 [SD: 1.82] years; 52.3% female) and (N = 255) trusted adults or caregiver (mean age = 41.2 (SD: 10.7) years; 90.9% female). Participants completed assessments at baseline, 3, 9, and 12 months postintervention. Logistic regression and mixed-effects models explored predictors of session completion and session impact. RESULTS: Approximately 82.7% of trusted adults completed the session (N = 211). Predictors of session completion included having a female youth (P = .009) and speaking the Native language (P = .05). Trusted adults completing the session reported that they were more likely to state that they communicate about sexual health at 9 months postintervention (P = .007) than those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the following: (1) sexual health program designers should focus more on engaging male caregivers as well as adults with male youth in programming and (2) engaging parents in programs is a promising approach for cultivating and sustaining healthy behaviors among Native adolescents.