Comprehensive sexual health education can be successfully implemented with Latino youth in rural communities, with evidence of strong attendance, program satisfaction, and positive change in short-term outcomes.
The Positive Prevention PLUS curriculum was successfully replicated with 1233 students in two predominantly Latino rural communities in Fresno County, California.
Students attended an average of 92% of program sessions, indicating strong program dosage and reach.
The majority of students reported high satisfaction with the program, rating it as interesting and useful.
Statistically significant increases were observed in sexual health knowledge following program participation.
Students demonstrated statistically significant increases in awareness of local sexual health services and willingness to seek services when needed.
Few evidence-based sexual health education programs have been developed specifically for or with rural youth, raising questions of applicability and acceptability in these settings.
This research suggests that a comprehensive sexual health education program called Positive Prevention PLUS can be effectively delivered to Latino teenagers in rural communities. The study followed over 1,200 ninth and tenth grade students in two rural communities in California's Fresno County over roughly a year and a half, tracking how often students attended sessions, how they felt about the program, and whether their knowledge and awareness improved. The results were notably positive across all measures. Students showed up consistently, attending about 92% of sessions on average. Nearly all students found the program interesting (94%) and useful (97%). Students also showed measurable short-term improvements in sexual health knowledge, awareness of local health services, and willingness to seek out those services when needed — all statistically significant changes. This research matters because most evidence-based sexual health education programs were not originally designed with rural or Latino communities in mind, leaving questions about whether they would work well in those settings. This study suggests that with appropriate implementation, such programs can resonate strongly with rural Latino youth, pointing to a potential pathway for addressing sexual health education gaps in underserved communities.
Berglas N, Gutmann-Gonzalez A, Wilson K, Decker M. (2025). Replication of a Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Curriculum in Rural Latino Communities.. The Journal of school health. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.70018