Simple Summary
Sexual health is important but often overlooked for female adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer, despite its strong impact on quality of life. We created a short whiteboard animation video to give clear, practical information on how cancer and its treatment can affect sexual health and offer strategies for managing these changes. Ninety AYAs across Canada watched the video and completed surveys before and after. Knowledge scores improved by nearly 20%, with greater gains among participants with a high school education or less, and younger participants tended to show larger improvements in sexual health knowledge after watching the video. Most described the video as easy to follow, helpful, and a resource they would recommend to others, while suggesting improvements, including shorter length, enhanced visuals, and more age- or relationship-specific content. These findings suggest that whiteboard videos can support sexual health education and help normalize these conversations in cancer care.
Abstract
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) assigned female at birth with cancer face significant sexual health challenges, yet accessible, age-appropriate educational tools remain limited. This study evaluated a 13 min whiteboard video designed to improve sexual health knowledge. Female AYA patients aged 15–39 years across Canada completed pre- and post-video surveys assessing knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction. The video’s understandability and actionability were measured using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-A/V), and readability was assessed using six standard metrics. Quantitative analyses included paired t-tests and regression modeling; qualitative responses were thematically coded. Ninety participants completed the study. Knowledge scores increased by 19.5% (95% CI, 14–24%; p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.89) following the video. Greater gains were observed among participants with a high school education or less (p = 0.040), while younger participants tended to show larger improvements. The video received average PEMAT-A/V scores of 96% for understandability and 94% for actionability. Most participants (89%) found it helpful for learning about sexual health and would recommend the video to peers, though suggested improvements included shorter length, enhanced visuals, and more age-specific content. Nearly half reported never discussing sexual health with providers. These findings support the feasibility of whiteboard video as an effective, scalable tool to address sexual health in oncology care.