LifeChanger: A Pilot Study of a Game-Based Curriculum for Sexuality Education.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a game-based sexuality education curriculum. DESIGN: Curriculum evaluation used descriptive statistics, observation, and qualitative and quantitative data collection. SETTING: The study was conducted in eighth grade classrooms in Chicago, Illinois. PARTICIPANTS: Students from 3 eighth grade classrooms from a school using a game-based curriculum. INTERVENTIONS: The intervention had 11 modules and used an ecological model informed by the extant literature. The intervention was developed by the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab and featured a card game designed with youth participation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The study outcomes of interest included learning, feasibility, and acceptability of the curriculum. RESULTS: Students highly rated frank conversation via "Ask the Doctor" sessions and role-playing. Students raised concerns about the breadth of activities, preferring to explore fewer topics in greater depth. CONCLUSION: A game-based curriculum was feasible, yet students placed the highest value on frank discussion about sexuality.

From intervention to invitation: reshaping adolescent sexual health through story telling and games.

The University of Chicago and the University of Ibadan in Nigeria have partnered to exchange innovative insights into the sexual and reproductive health of disadvantaged populations in Chicago and Nigeria. Youth in both Chicago and Nigeria face disproportionately high rates of mortality and morbidity due to poor sexual and reproductive health. Traditional models have fallen short of the needs of these youth, so the University of Chicago is seeking to reframe and retool adolescent sexual health education. Game Changer Chicago is an initiative that incorporates digital storytelling, new media, and game design to conduct workshops with youth around issues of sexuality and emotional health. Based on the success of storytelling and digital media programs in Nigeria and the success of Game Changer Chicago, we believe this model holds promise for implementation in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries