‘Por Ahí Dicen’: Latinas, Discuss Sexual Health with Your Children

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Some Latina moms are hesitant or withhold certain facts when discussing sex with their children, according to a Mass Live report.

That why a new Spanish-language campaign, “Por Ahí Dicen,” will encourage Puerto Rican mothers in Massachusetts to discuss sex and sexual health with their children.

The campaign, developed by the Mauricio Gastón Institute of Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Springfield, will air public service announcements on Telemundo and radio stations and place ads on buses and other venues.

Heavily Latino parts of Massachusetts, including Holyoke and Springfield, also have among the state’s highest rates of teen pregnancy.

“We focused on the Puerto Rican community because of the high rate of teen pregnancy, but lessons learned can be applied to all communities,” María Idalí Torres, director of the Gastón Institute and principal investigator, told Mass Live. “We hope that the participation of Puerto Rican mothers in the development of the PSAs serves as inspiration for a community-wide effort to support mother-child conversations about protection against unintended teen pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.”