Effect of the Nurse-Led "I Am the Hero of my Body” programon the sexual abuse knowledge of children: A quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluated the effect of the nurse-led \"I am the hero of my body\" program on children’s sexualabuse knowledge levels. Methods: The population of this quasi-experimental study consisted of fourth-grade students in 3 state primaryschools in the Umranıye district of Istanbul. The study was carried out with 52 students in the intervention group and90 students in the control group (n=142). Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form and theChildren’s Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire. The program comprised a single 40-minute session including a Power Point presentation prepared by the researchers, videos, and role-play techniques. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test,and Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance level wasaccepted at p<0.05. Results: In the pretest, the intervention and control groups were similar in terms of gender, age, place of residence,parental education, parental employment, and previous education from family or teacher. There was a significant dif ference between pretest and posttest scores in the intervention group (p<0.05). In the posttest, the intervention grouphad significantly higher good touch and bad touch scores compared to the control group. Conclusion: The program was effective in increasing children’s sexual abuse knowledge. The program should be im plemented in schools and its long-term results evaluated.