LEVEL OF ACCULTURATION OF HISPANIC MOTHERS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THEIR DAUGHTERS ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH TOPICS

Purpose: Hispanic caregiver's level of acculturation to American culture is expected to have a significant impact on reproductive health conversations. This study aims to: (1) characterize caregivers-of-adolescents* level of acculturation; and (2) evaluate the association between level of acculturation and types of conversations caregivers report having with their adolescent daughters about sexual and reproductive health topics. Methods: Primary adult caregivers with daughters aged 9 to 21 years were surveyed in person from March - November 2019 through local health fairs and community educational events using a tabled-based REDCap platform. A 4-item acculturation scale was summed and classified as "low" (=2.5)., Individual acculturation items asked, "in what language do you...l) think, 2) read, 3) speak with friends, and 4) speak at home" using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "Spanish only" to "English only." The main outcome measure was calculated from 20 yes-no items inquiring about whether parent reported having a conversation about four main sexual and reproductive health topics (relationships, puberty, sexual behaviors, condoms/STIs/birth control) between the caregiver and adolescent. Bivariate statistics (i.e. Chi-square tests, Fisher Exact) were used to identify statistically significant associations between independent and dependent variables. Results: A total of 124 caregivers participated in this study (94% female, 73% foreign-born, 70% survey taken in Spanish, 79% Hispanic). Sixty-eight percent were assigned a low acculturation score (i.e., prefer to communicate in Spanish). Foreign born, a proxy measure of acculturation, was associated with the acculturation score (X2(l) = 97.1, p