title: Knowledge Gains Following a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Among Urban Students: A Cluster-Randomized Evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated a school-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program, Safe Touches, in a low-socioeconomic status, racially diverse sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 492 second- and third-grade students at 6 public elementary schools in New York City. The study period spanned fall 2012 through summer 2014. We cluster-randomized classrooms to the Safe Touches intervention or control groups and assessed outcomes with the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire. Hierarchical models tested change in children's knowledge of inappropriate and appropriate touch.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group on knowledge of inappropriate touch. Children in second grade and children in schools with a greater proportion of students in general (vs special) education showed greater gains than other participants in knowledge of inappropriate touch. We observed no significant change in knowledge of appropriate touch among control or intervention groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young children benefited from a school-based, 1-time CSA prevention program. Future research should explore the efficacy of CSA prevention programs with children before the second grade to determine optimal age for participation.
authors.affiliation: Mary L. Pulido, Sarah Dauber, Brenda A. Tully, and Paige Hamilton, are with The New York Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Children, New York, NY. Michael J. Smith is with the Silberman School of Social Work, New York, NY. Katherine Freeman is with Extrapolate LLC, Delray Beach, FL.
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pulido
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dauber
authors.forename: Brenda A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Tully
authors.forename: Paige
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004493:Education; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D012572:School Health Services; D014505:Urban Population