Gender-transformative school-based sexual health intervention: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

TL;DR

This study tests a new school-based sexual health program that focuses on transforming gender norms to improve adolescent sexual health and equity.

Contribution

The study introduces a unique, culturally sensitive, gender-transformative sexual education program for adolescents.

Findings

The intervention combines quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate effectiveness and implementation.

The program is designed to be adaptable to the cultural context of the target population.

It aims to improve sexual health outcomes and promote gender equity among adolescents.

Abstract

There is general agreement that sexuality is a central aspect of human development; it is key in sexual health and reproductive education during adolescence. However, in spite of the existing interventions on this topic and the evidence generated, the inclusion of a gender focus in sexuality is relatively recent and there is little evidence available, thus structured and corroborated interventions with a gender-transforming perspective in sexuality are required.

We will use a mixed method experimental design with a parallel cluster-randomized trial (GRTs) that will evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive gender-transformative intervention of sexual education (ENFOCATE -Focus-on-), which will be complemented with qualitative studies to understand the implementation process. The participants will be 609 10th and 11th-grade students. The randomization will be by grade, and the data will be collected at three moments (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and a 3-month follow-up).

Comprehensive, gender-focused, and culturally pertinent interventions in sexuality are needed for adolescents of countries with high, middle, and low incomes. These produce better results in terms of sexual health, and including a gender-transformative focus contributes to equity in health. Focus-on is unique since it uses a comprehensive gender-transformative intervention in sexual education that will allow putting into practice a program based both on international evidence and that which arises from the object population. It also uses a culturally-sensitive focus, since it is designed based on the characteristics of the object population; it will allow adapting some activities to the needs of the context in which it is developed.

The study was prospectively registered on June 6, 2023, at ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05896540. Protocol version number 1.0. May 22, 2023.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-024-08191-w.

Figures