Sex Education for Hmong American Youth: Challenges and Lessons Learned.

Teen pregnancy is a significant health and social concern. Hmong Americans have some of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the nation; yet, there are very few culturally competent programs developed to prevent teen pregnancy in this community. The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy and implementation challenges of two sex education programs specifically adapted for Hmong American youth. This study assessed two cohorts of Hmong American youths (n = 53 and n=50), ages 11 to 15 years (mean = 12.96, SD = 0.72) and four interviews with program facilitators. Results showed a significant main effect for the perceived sexual health knowledge scale for cohort one (F(1,52) =221.39, p < .001; n = .81) and no gender effects for either cohort. Staff interviews showed four main challenges for program implementation, including lack of sex conversations in the home, lack of culturally relevant curriculum, time constraints and program setting, and issues within community partnerships. Implications for future sexuality education programs are discussed.