Substantiation and evaluation of ‘Je Lijf, Je Lief!’: A health education intervention to decrease non-consensual sexual interaction of students in the lowest secondary education levels (‘praktijkonderwijs’ [practical education]).

Non-consensual sexual interaction is more prevalent in students of lower educational levels. This target population requires tailored health education programs, but is often disregarded by preventive measures. The aim of the current proposal is to study the effectiveness and usability of a promising school-based intervention, called ‘Je lijf, je lief!’, and prepare it for nationwide upscaling. ‘Je Lijf, Je Lief!’ is the only program that targets non-consensual sexual interaction specifically for students with learning problems. It aims to prevent and decrease non-consensual sexual interaction in these secondary practical education schools, by aiding students (12-14 year olds) in being assertive, sexually resilient and respectful in a way that is suitable for this target group, through the use of visual materials, active and interactive elements, simple language and repetition of themes. In order to obtain the main objectives, we have divided the project into four stages with specific objectives: In stage 1 we systematically assess the strong and weak points of the program, based on behavior change theory and using the Intervention Mapping protocol. In the second stage, the current program and subsequent train-the-trainer are adapted, if necessary, according to the proceeds of the assessment of stage 1. In this stage the evaluation materials are also developed. In the third stage the evaluation of the program takes place. A mixed-method approach is used in order to identify the working elements of the program. The effectiveness is researched using a Cluster Randomized Trial, in which 27 practical education schools throughout the country are randomly assigned to either a experimental or a control condition. Schools in the experimental condition receive training in Je Lijf, Je Lief, whereas the control condition does not (business as usual). Stage 4: Dissemination of the results of this project. The program and implementation intervention are to be embedded in a nationwide program with certification of trainers and licenses for the organizations that work with it. The members of the consortium are aware that the proposed project targets a difficult population and setting. However, because this target population is often overlooked by preventive measures and because the possible problems associated with non-consensual sexual interaction are more prevalent in this target population, the need for study on this promissing program is worthwile. Besides, the combined experiences of the members with research on the population, the outstanding network in the field, adds to the feasibility of this project.