Parents welcome "hard-hitting" campaign

The FPA (Family Planning Association)'s recent pilot campaign to encourage parents to talk to their children about sex has generated an excellent response rate. Funded by the Department of Health as part of "The health of the nation" efforts to reduce unplanned teenage pregnancies, the campaign centered on two radio advertisements. Aired during March in Greater London and North West England, the advertisements featured a free phone number from which people could obtain free copies of the booklet "Answering your child's questions," part of the FPA's "Growing Up" series. Nearly 7500 copies of the booklet were distributed in response to over 5000 requests--2500 rang in the first week alone. Most requests were from parents (69% mothers, 31% fathers) with one to three children aged between 7 and 13. Over 1000 requests were from parents with children under 7. Hundreds of schools, youth clubs, health professionals and voluntary organizations requested multiple booklets for use in their work. Research carried out to gauge public reaction showed overwhelming support for the campaign's message, demonstrating the immense need by parents for information in this area. "Answering your child's questions" was praised for being "open, direct and easy to follow." One parent said, "The booklet arms parents with the right way of putting information across." Parents described the advertisements as "hard-hitting" and "attention-grabbing." One listener commented: "They really stopped me in my tracks." FPA director Doreen Massey said: "The favorable reaction to the campaign is extremely encouraging. We are looking at ways to relay this pilot effort into a full-scale UK-wide campaign next year."