Peer-reviewed article

The Effects of a Body Safety Training Program for Children from Low-Income Families on Children's Self-Protection Skills.

Genç M, İzciler F, Aslan N · 19 Aug 2026

Abstract

Background: Child sexual abuse is a major public health concern, particularly for children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. This study examined the effect of a body safety training (BST) program on the self-protection skills of preschool children from low-income families. Methods: This one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted with 32 children aged 4-6 years attending a public kindergarten located in a low-income neighborhood in Türkiye. The children participated in a seven-session BST program. Data were collected via the What If Situations Test (WIST), with assessments conducted before and after the intervention. Differences between the pretest and posttest scores were analyzed via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and effect sizes (r) were calculated. Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed in the WIST subscales of appropriate touching recognition, inappropriate touching recognition, Saying skill, Doing skill, Telling skill, and Reporting skill, as well as in the Personal Safety Questionnaire scores (all p < 0.05). A significant increase with a large effect size was observed in the WIST total skill scores following the intervention (Z = -4.756, p < 0.001, r = 0.84; mean change = 6.34, 95% CI: 4.63-8.13). Conclusions: Participation in the BST Program was associated with significant improvements in the self-protection skills of preschool children from low-income families. These findings suggest that structured body safety education may be a promising approach for supporting personal safety skills among socioeconomically disadvantaged preschool children.