SIECCAN Newsletter: vol. 35, no. 2, Winter, 2000. An evaluation of the Choices and Changes student program: a grade four to seven sexual health education program based on the Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education.

This article describes the first reported outcome evaluation of a family life/sexual health education program for elementary school students in Canada. The program, called Choices and Changes, was designed following concepts in the Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education (Health Canada, 1994) and has been to presented to grade 4-7 students at a school in Whitehorse, Yukon, for the past four years (1998-2001). Parents/guardians provided input on program objectives and a parent component was added in 2000. Pooled scores for classroom evaluations of all grades in 1999-2001 showed modest increases in knowledge that remained at 3-4 month follow-up; notable increases in 3 of 5 measures of motivation and personal insight that also remained at follow-up; no change in selfassessed assertiveness skill at resisting pressure to do something they did not want to do; and slight change (but only at 3-4 month follow-up) in comfort talking with parents about puberty. The authors hope to stimulate dialogue on the appropriate outcome measures for sexual health education programs for this younger age group and to encourage further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]