Date of Conferral

4-22-2025

Date of Award

April 2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Olivia Osaji

Abstract

Adolescents and young adults represent many of the new sexually transmitted infections diagnosed each year in the United States, with pronounced disparities among minority racial and ethnic groups. This study examined 3,480 participants aged 15-24 from the 2017-2019 National Survey on Family Growth to explore the influence of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on the likelihood and comprehensiveness of parental sex education before the age of 18, using the Intersectionality Theory and Social Determinants of Health as frameworks. Controlling for formal sex education, binary and multinomial logistic regression models demonstrated that formal sex education significantly increased the odds of adolescents receiving parental sex education. Specifically, Black participants were more likely than their White counterparts to receive parental education (Exp(B) = 1.347, p = .010). However, for participants belonging to other racial groups, higher education correlated with a decrease in parental sex education (Exp(B) = .423, p = .047), suggesting that higher SES does not necessarily enhance parental involvement. Regarding comprehensiveness, Black participants with higher SES were more likely to receive less comprehensive parental sex education (Exp(B) = 1.917, p = .012), exposing a gap where increased SES did not translate into better educational outcomes. Hispanic identity was associated with significantly more comprehensive sex education, shielding against the negative impacts of SES disparities (Exp(B) = 0.62, p = .013). This study underscores the urgent need for race- and SES-informed interventions to address educational disparities and promote equity in marginalized communities.

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