Cairo

Researchers are evaluating Parent Toolkit 2.0, an intervention designed for parents and caregivers of middle and high school students aged 12 to 15 in rural and micropolitan areas of Georgia. The program aims to improve parent knowledge and communication about adolescent health, sexual health, and relationships to encourage healthier behaviors in youth, such as delaying sexual activity and increasing contraceptive use. The study is a randomized controlled trial involving 1,000 parent-teen pairs to assess the program's impact on these outcomes. The intervention includes three components delivered over three weeks: an online self-paced Parent Guide with information and resources about adolescent and sexual health, four videos demonstrating parent-teen communication on sex and contraception, and two group sessions for parents to discuss the content and build communication skills. Participants are divided into treatment and control groups, with the control group receiving only the self-paced guide. Parents or caregivers participate directly in the program, while youth complete surveys but do not engage in the programming. Participants will complete baseline and post-intervention surveys, with youth also completing a nine-month follow-up survey to measure outcomes like delayed sexual initiation. Parents in the treatment group attend group sessions and review videos, while both groups complete surveys and may join optional focus groups. The study monitors parent-teen communication changes and sexual behaviors through these assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of Parent Toolkit 2.0.