Health Literacy Through Local Language Pop-Up Books in Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Health literacy in the prevention of child sexual abuse is crucial for safeguarding the younger generation. Child sexual abuse is most frequently perpetrated by individuals close to the child. Therefore, an effective approach and suitable media are required to prevent children from falling victim to abuse by making them aware of potential dangers within their immediate environment. This study aims to assess the impact of health literacy using local language pop-up books in preventing child sexual abuse. The research adopts an intervention study design with a quasi-experimental approach, specifically the Non-equivalent Control Group design. The study population comprises elementary school students in Sidrap Regency. The sample consists of 100 participants divided into intervention and control groups, each containing 50 individuals. The sample selection employs purposive sampling techniques. Data analysis involves the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. The intervention group receives health literacy through the use of pop-up books, while the control group utilizes conventional storybooks. The media content encompasses health literacy in preventing child sexual abuse using the local language. The evaluated variables include knowledge, self-awareness, and self-skills. The research results demonstrate an increase in knowledge scores before and after the intervention in the intervention group, from 7.34 to 9.58 (p<0.001), and in the control group, from 7.56 to 10.74 (p<0.001). Similarly, self-awareness scores before and after the intervention in the intervention group increase from 7.62 to 9.76 (p<0.001), and in the control group, from 7.7 to 9.16 (p<0.001). Regarding self-skills, there is an increase in scores before and after the intervention in the intervention group, from 5.82 to 6.78 (p=0.002), and in the control group, from 6.66 to 7.32 (p=0.002). The use of local language media, presented in the form of pop-up books or storybooks, is recommended for efforts to prevent child sexual abuse in school-aged children.