Impact of Sex Education
Impact of Sex Education
The issue of teen pregnancy and sexual health is no secret. The rates in the United States of teen pregnancy and STDs is very high (Kirby, D. 2007). There are different strategies in the fight to reduce te numbers of teens with pregnancies of sexual health issues. Most are centered around education, but there are give general classifications: “curriculum-based programs, clinician-patient interactions in clinic settings, video- and computer-based programs, programs for parents and their families, and multicomponent programs (Kirby, D. 2007). “ The most popular of these groups are the impact of sex education programs and it is the group that is the most measured.
There are also different approaches to sex education. There are those that only focus on abstinence and those that include abstinence as contraceptive use. It has been shown that sex education programs that focus on only abstinence fail to produce significant effects on sexual behavior (Kirby, D. 2007). However, comprehensive programs such as those that include not only abstinence but also education regarding the consistent use of condoms and contraceptives did not in fact increase sexual behavior as commonly feared. Studies show that about 66% of comprehensive education programs had a positive impact on delaying sexual activity, reducing frequency of sex and number of partners, or increasing condom/contraceptive use (Kirby, D. 2007).
References:
Kirby, D. (2007). Abstinence, Sex, and STD/HIV Education Programs for Teens: Their Impact on Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Sexually Transmitted Disease. Annual Review of Sex Research, 18143-177. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
References: Kirby, D. (2007). Abstinence, Sex, and STD/HIV Education Programs for Teens: Their Impact on Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Sexually Transmitted Disease. Annual Review of Sex Research, 18143-177. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
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