Dialogue for Reproductive Justice through Art, Play and Pupusas!

New research by communication professor Carina Zelaya aims to improve sexual and reproductive health communication among Latinx families.

By Kelly Blake

Making pupusas is a personal process—across Central America people prepare the thick, stuffed tortilla in different ways. The same goes for choices about sexual and reproductive health, says Carina Zelaya, assistant professor in the Department of Communication. Preferences around relationships, contraception and intimacy vary widely, especially across generations.

Zelaya’s new research project uses art, play, storytelling and culturally specific activities—like making pupusas—to engage women of Central American descent in candid conversations about topics that can be difficult to discuss, including sexual intimacy and consent, body image, healthy relationships and more.

“My goal is to help women make decisions about their intimate health in a science-based and equitable way,” says Zelaya, who studies health communication strategies to improve public health messaging. “What are the conversations that should be happening but are not?” 

With funding from the Society of Family Planning, Zelaya’s project, “Fostering Multigenerational Dialogue on Sexual Health and Reproductive Justice in Latinx Families Through Art-Based Communication Interventions,” will facilitate intimate conversations among small groups of women. These discussions will get at the cultural identities, norms and values that impact their decisions about everything from preventing sexually transmitted infections to how to negotiate boundaries with partners. 

The grant covers the cost of mentorship from three additional experts who will help Zelaya design the intervention, including Sarah Fahmy, an assistant professor of theatre studies at Florida State University. Many of the interactive and participatory exercises will be adapted from theater techniques, used to help people imagine new approaches. Zelaya has also received seed funding from Arts for All through the ArtsAMP Faculty Impact grants program. 

“I want to bring a daughter, mom and grandma together to have conversations they've maybe never had before,” Zelaya said. “Maybe they don't know how to start those conversations or feel in a safe or comfortable environment to do that.” 

One activity will focus on body acceptance and body autonomy. Participants will trace their bodies onto large sheets of paper and fill them with words, images and colors that reflect their thoughts—positive, negative or neutral—about different body parts. “I will tell them, ‘Write things that you think about yourself in the different parts of your body—anything you want to include.’” The exercise is designed to spark conversations, highlight shared experiences and build trust needed for deeper discussions about sensitive topics like birth control or abortion. 

Another activity involves sharing and preparing pupusa recipes, with built-in prompts and questions about sexual health to guide discussion as participants cook together.

Zelaya notes that the historical lack of Latinx representation  in family planning research has led to campaigns that often fail to resonate or carry cultural significance. She also points out that health research frequently groups people from 33 diverse Latin American countries into a single category, overlooking important differences.

In addition, the data show that there’s a demonstrated need to improve communication among Latinx families around sexual health topics. According to Pew Research Center, fewer than a third of immigrant youths report ever having a conversation with their parents about birth control, though that likelihood increases significantly between first, second and third generations of immigrants. Also, Latinx women in the United States are much more likely to experience unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections than non-Hispanic whites, according to Planned Parenthood.

The intergenerational aspect of Zelaya’s project stems from her own upbringing in Honduras, which she describes as “very matriarchal.” She is planning to run a pilot study with multigenerational pods of women in Honduras later this year, which will be followed by an intervention that recruits women of Central American descent from the community surrounding the University of Maryland in 2026. Each pod will meet with her and a research assistant who will guide them through three sessions, including a variety of activities, such as making art and cooking pupusas.

“In the end, we get to bond, share meals and taste each other's recipes while also learning and maybe pushing some boundaries,” Zelaya said. “The big outcome I want is for women to have all the tools possible before making a decision so that it is well-informed and it's their own personal decision.” 

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock by Sergio.