What is sexual health education?
Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Building an evidence- and rights-based approach to healthy decision-making
As they grow up, young people face important decisions about relationships, sexuality, and sexual behavior. The decisions they make can impact their health and well-being for the rest of their lives. Young people have the right to lead healthy lives, and society has the responsibility to prepare youth by providing them with comprehensive sexual health education that gives them the tools they need to make healthy decisions. But it is not enough for programs to include discussions of abstinence and contraception to help young people avoid unintended pregnancy or disease. Comprehensive sexual health education must do more. It must provide young people with honest, age-appropriate information and skills necessary to help them take personal responsibility for their health and overall well being. This paper provides an overview of research on effective sex education, laws and policies that shape it, and how it can impact young people’s lives.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
What is sexual health education?
Sex education is the provision of information about bodily development, sex, sexuality, and relationships, along with skills-building to help young people communicate about and make informed decisions regarding sex and their sexual health. Sex education should occur throughout a student’s grade levels, with information appropriate to students’ development and cultural background. It should include information about puberty and reproduction, abstinence, contraception and condoms, relationships, sexual violence prevention, body image, gender identity and sexual orientation. It should be taught by trained teachers. Sex education should be informed by evidence of what works best to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, but it should also respect young people’s right to complete and honest information. Sex education should treat sexual development as a normal, natural part of human development.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
The article on “Effects of sex education on adolescent behavior” by Deborah Dawson gives different percentages of adolescents in regard to the type of sex information they receive in United States of America; especially on pregnancy and contraceptives. It is a professional journal on sex education. The main effect of sex education on adolescent behavior is reduced adolescent pregnancies and induced abortions.
I like this article because it emphasizes the need to educate the adolescents on sexual issues. The article is an excellent piece of work. I believe sex education impacts greatly on adolescents. Sex education is the tool to ensure the change of attitudes and thoughts amongst teenagers concerning sex, pregnancy and birth control. Sex education helps the participants to gain knowledge on their reproductive health and methods of birth control.
Sex education is essential to adolescents. It changes their attitude towards other people’s sexual behavior. It is important to measure the behavioral impacts of sex education. I think the program has great effect on values and attitude of teenagers in regards to sex.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Somehow the program could be having no impact on levels of sexual activity amongst teens. All the same, sex education has increased the sense of responsibility among teenagers. There is a positive relationship between use of contraceptives and sex education, which in my view shows responsibility.
I believe the levels of sexual activity may remain high, but sex education helps in reducing cases of teenage pregnancy and abortions. The article is an excellent piece of work, but it has a few gaps. The sex education program presented in this case is more of theory than interactive. Students should play active roles, be involved in groups and watch videos for them to see the reality. This will improve its effectiveness.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Daniel Wight’s article on “Limits of teacher delivered sex education” highlights some of the challenges which face sex education program in schools. In his study he involves 25 schools in East Scotland with and his main objective was to establish whether sex education delivered in schools or by teachers’ reduced unsafe sexual intercourse among adolescents.
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I like this article because it offers a comprehensive report on limitations of sex education offered at schools. I adolescents spend most of their time at school, which means that teachers should ac like guardians. Also teachers should be able to deliver sex education effectively.
The main aim of sex education in schools is to reduce cases of risky sexual behavior among adolescents. The quality of education they get matters most. Such gaps in delivering of sex education calls for other interventions like SHARE which means; Sexual Health Relationships: Safe, Happy and Responsible.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
In my opinion I would encourage such a programme to complement the school based curriculum. The program proves to be more effective in improving the quality of sexual relationships, reducing unsafe sexual activities and unwanted pregnancies. Sex education should not be a theoretical class work only, but should take a pro-active view in order to be effective.
Effective sex education program includes, working in small groups and games, providing sexual health leaflets, using interactive video and playing of different roles in order to develop skills. Including all these aspects in the program ensures that the program is effective.
When the interactive program is put in practice, a considerable change of behavior is noticed. This is an excellent article to close up the gaps occurring in sex education delivered by teachers. It shows how delivering of sex education has changed and the results which come with the changes.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
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This Essay on “Effects of Sex Education on Adolescent Behavior” by Deborah Dawson was written and submitted by user JohnWraith to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.
Sex education in schools now seems to be more and more of a controversial issue. People are arguing over what the curriculum should be in sex education, if it should be taught in schools or at home by parents and the main point of this paper if sex education is actually doing what it was set out to do. The idea behind this paper is to determine if sex education in schools really does keep down the amount of teens with STD’s or who become pregnant.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
The definition of sex education according to SIECUS (2002) “Sexuality education is a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values. It encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, …show more content…
So based on several different studies and articles sex education is helping, even if the rates waver at times the services that public schools are offering are helping.
From an article written by Dailard (2001) it was stated that in 1981 President Regan passed into law Adolescent Family Life Act which gave small sums of money to local government to use for sex education in schools, for them to promote “chastity and self- discipline”. Ever since that act was passed it has constantly been debated if sex education should teach abstinence or safe sex. In the early ninety’s almost $500 million went into teaching abstinence only. Despite what the government wanted teachers and other involved felt differently about what should be taught, they didn’t find it right to just teach abstinence. When a survey was conducted it was shown that most teachers taught abstinence as the primary choice but didn’t leave out the important basics of safe sex. What was taught was based on where in the country the program was, in the south abstinence was taught primarily as the only choice.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Why is sexual health education important to young people’s health and well-being?
Comprehensive sexual health education covers a range of topics throughout the student’s grade levels. Along with parental and community support, it can help young people:
Avoid negative health consequences. Each year in the United States, about 750,000 teens become pregnant, with up to 82 percent of those pregnancies being unintended.[1,2] Young people ages 15-24 account for 25 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S.[3] and make up almost one-half of the over 19 million new STD infections Americans acquire each year.4 Sex education teaches young people the skills they need to protect themselves.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Communicate about sexuality and sexual health. Throughout their lives, people communicate with parents, friends and intimate partners about sexuality. Learning to freely discuss contraception and condoms, as well as activities they are not ready for, protects young people’s health throughout their lives. Delay sexual initiation until they are ready. Comprehensive sexual health education teaches abstinence as the only 100 percent effective method of preventing HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy – and as a valid choice which everyone has the right to make. Dozens of sex education programs have been proven effective at helping young people delay sex or have sex less often.[5]
Understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. Maintaining a healthy relationship requires skills many young people are never taught – like positive communication, conflict management, and negotiating decisions around sexual activity. A lack of these skills can lead to unhealthy and even violent relationships among youth: one in 10 high school students has experienced physical violence from a dating partner in the past year.[6] Sex education should include understanding and identifying healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns; effective ways to communicate relationship needs and manage conflict; and strategies to avoid or end an unhealthy relationship.[7]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Understand, value, and feel autonomy over their bodies. Comprehensive sexual health education teaches not only the basics of puberty and development, but also instills in young people that they have the right to decide what behaviors they engage in and to say no to unwanted sexual activity. Furthermore, sex education helps young people to examine the forces that contribute to a positive or negative body image.
Respect others’ right to bodily autonomy. Eight percent of high school students have been forced to have intercourse[8], while one in ten students say they have committed sexual violence.[9] Good sex education teaches young people what constitutes sexual violence, that sexual violence is wrong, and how to find help if they have been assaulted.
Show dignity and respect for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The past few decades have seen huge steps toward equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Yet LGBT youth still face discrimination and harassment. Among LGBT students, 82 percent have experienced harassment due to the sexual orientation, and 38 percent have experienced physical harassment.[10]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Protect their academic success. Student sexual health can affect academic success. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that students who do not engage in health risk behaviors receive higher grades than students who do engage in health risk behaviors. Health-related problems and unintended pregnancy can both contribute to absenteeism and dropout.[11]
What does the research say about effective sex education?
Comprehensive sexual health education works.Research has repeatedly found that sex education which provides accurate, complete, and developmentally appropriate information on human sexuality, including risk-reduction strategies and contraception helps young people take steps to protect their health, including delaying sex, using condoms or contraception, and being monogamous.[5]
A 2012 study that examined 66 comprehensive sexual risk reduction programs found them to be an effective public health strategy to reduce adolescent pregnancy, HIV, and STIs.[12]
Research from the National Survey of Family Growth assessed the impact of sexuality education on youth sexual risk-taking for young people ages 15-19 and found that teens who received comprehensive sex education were 50 percent less likely to experience pregnancy than those who received abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.[13]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Even accounting for differences in household income and education, states which teach sex education and/or HIV education that covers abstinence as well as contraception, tend to have the lowest pregnancy rates.[14]
National Sexuality Education Standards provide a roadmap. The National Sexuality Education Standards, developed by experts in the public health and sexuality education field and heavily influenced by the National Health Education Standards, provide guidance about the minimum essential content and skills needed to help students make informed decisions about sexual health.15 The standards focus on seven topics as the minimum, essential content and skills for K–12 education: Anatomy and Physiology, Puberty and Adolescent Development, Identity, Pregnancy and Reproduction, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV, Healthy Relationships, and Personal Safety. Topics are presented using performance indicators—what students should learn by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12.[16] Schools which are developing comprehensive sexual health education programs should consult the National Sexuality Education Standards to provide students with the information and skills they need to develop into healthy adults.
Evidence-based interventions are proven effective for schools serving communities at risk.Schools may wish to embed evidence-based interventions (EBIs) in their sexual health education programs. Others may wish to provide EBIs as targeted interventions for groups of students at high risk. To do the latter, these programs should be provided in an after school setting. Researchers have identified dozens of EBIs where participants showed statistically significant declines in teen pregnancy, HIV, or other STIs. Following are collections of EBIs targeting youth from a variety of backgrounds.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Science and Success:Programs that Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections (Advocates for Youth, 2012): Advocates for Youth undertook exhaustive reviews of existing programs that work to prevent teen pregnancy, HIV, and STIs and compiled a list of programs that have been proven effective by rigorous evaluation. Thirty-six effective programs were identified.[5]
16 programs demonstrated a statistically significant delay in the timing of first sex.
21 programs showed statistically significant declines in teen pregnancy, HIV or other STIs.
16 programs helped sexually active youth to increase their use of condoms.
9 programs demonstrated success at increasing use of contraception other than condoms.
Emerging Answers(The National Campaign to End Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2007): Researcher Douglas Kirby examined studies of prevention programs which had a strong experimental design and used other appropriate analysis criteria. Two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive sex education programs studied had positive effects:[17]
40 percent delayed sexual initiation, reduced number of sexual partners, or increased condom or contraceptive use;
30 percent reduced the frequency of sex, including return to abstinence; and
60 percent reduced unprotected sex.[17]
The Office of Adolescent Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, keeps a list of evidence-based interventions, with ratings based on the rigor of program impact studies and strength of the evidence supporting the program model. Thirty-one programs meet the OAH’s effectiveness criteria and that were found to be effective at preventing teen pregnancies or births, reducing sexually transmitted infections, or reducing rates of associated sexual risk behaviors (defined by sexual activity, contraceptive use, or number of partners).[18]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
What’s wrong with abstinence-only-until-marriage programs?
Many students receive abstinence-only-until marriage programs instead of or in addition to more comprehensive programs. These programs:
Depict abstinence until heterosexual marriage as the only moral choice for young people
Mention contraception only in terms of failure rates
Focus on heterosexual youth, ignoring the needs of LGBTQ youth
Often use outdated gender roles, urging “modesty” for all girls while painting all boys as sexual aggressors.
Have been found to contain false information
Are not supported by the majority of Americans.[19]
Only one abstinence-only program has ever been proven effective at helping young people delay sex; yet in withholding information about contraception, it leaves those who do have sex completely at risk. Studies show that 99 percent of people will use contraception in their lifetimes,[20] and that the provision of information about contraception does not hasten the onset of sexual debut or increase sexual activity.[10] Meanwhile, thirty years of public health research clearly demonstrate that comprehensive sex education can help young people delay sexual initiation while also assisting them to use protection when they do become sexually active. We want young people to behave responsibly when it comes to decisions about sexual health, and that means society has the responsibility to provide them with honest, age-appropriate comprehensive sexual health education; access to services to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; and the resources to help them lead healthy lives.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
All young people need comprehensive sexual health education, while others also need sexual health services. Youth at disproportionate risk for sexual health disparities may also need targeted interventions designed specifically to build self efficacy and agency. Further, administrators and other policy makers must recognize that structural determinants, socio-cultural factors and cultural norms have been shown to have a strong impact on youth sexual health and must be tackled to truly redress sexual health disparity fueled by social inequity.
How is the content of a student’s sex education decided?
Many factors help shape the content of a student’s sex education. These include:
State and federal funding the school district receives
State laws and standards regarding sex education
School district level policies and/or standards regarding curricula and content
The program or curriculum a district or individual school selects
The individual(s) who delivers the program.
With thousands of school districts around the nation, students’ experiences can vary drastically from district to district and school to school.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
What are federal, state, and local structures that affect sex education?
In the United States, education is largely a state and local responsibility, as dictated by the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This amendment states that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”[3] Because the Constitution doesn’t specifically mention education, the federal government does not have any direct authority regarding curriculum, instruction, administration, personnel, etc. In 1980, the U.S. Department of Education was created. While this move centralized federal efforts and responsibilities into one office, it did not come with an increase in federal jurisdiction over the educational system.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
The U.S. Department of Education currently has no authority over sexual health education. However, there have been federal funds allocated, primarily through the Department of Health and Human Services that school systems and community-based agencies have used throughout the last three decades to provide various forms of sex education.[21]
Federal funding: Until FY2010, there was no designated funding for a comprehensive approach to sex education. In 1982, federal support of abstinence-only programs began, and in 1996, expanded drastically. From 1996-2010, over $1.5 billion in federal funding went to abstinence-only programs, which were conducted with little oversight and were proven ineffective. While one large stream of funding for abstinence-only programs was cancelled in 2010, at publication one still exists (as authorized by Congress through Title V funding) and is funded at $50 million per year.[22]
In 2010, two streams of funding became available for evidence-based sex education interventions.[22]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
PREP: The Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) was authorized by Congress as a part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. PREP provides grants ($75 million over five years) for programs which teach about both abstinence and contraception in order to help young people reduce their risk for unintended pregnancy, HIV, and STIs. In Fiscal Year 2012, 45 states applied for PREP. PREP grants are issued to states, typically the state health departments. All programs implemented with PREP funding are to educate adolescents about both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and STIs, including HIV/AIDS, and must cover at least three adulthood preparation subjects such as healthy relationships, adolescent development, financial literacy, educational and career success, and healthy life skills.
The President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) funds medically-accurate and age-appropriate programs to reduce teen pregnancy. Seventy-five grantees in 32 states received TPPI funds in FY 2012. TPPI grants are distributed by the Office of Adolescent Health to local public and private entities. Grantees must implement an evidence-based program which has been proven effective at preventing teen pregnancy. According to OAH, 31 programs meet these criteria, including one abstinence-only-until-marriage program.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
States may accept PREP, TPPI, or Title V funds. Many states accept funds for both abstinence-only programs and evidence-based interventions. In 2013, 19 SEAs and 17 LEA received five year cooperative agreements from CDC/DASH to implement ESHE within their school systems.
In addition, in 2013, CDC/Division of School Health issued a request for proposals to fund State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Large Municipal Education Agencies (LEAs) to implement Exemplary Sexual Health Education (ESHE). ESHE is defined as a systematic, evidence-informed approach to sexual health education that includes the use of grade-specific, evidence-based interventions, but also emphasizes sequential learning across elementary, middle, and high school grade levels.[23]
States may accept PREP, TPPI, or Title V funds. Many states accept funds for both abstinence-only programs and evidence-based interventions. In 2013, 19 SEAs and 17 LEAs received five year cooperative agreements from CDC/DASH to implement ESHE within their school systems.[22]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act: While there is as yet no law that supports comprehensive sexual health education, there is pending legislation. The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (S. 372/H.R. 725), introduced in February 2013 by the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), would ensure that federal funding is allocated to comprehensive sexual health education programs that provide young people with the skills and information they need to make informed, responsible, and healthy decisions. This legislation sets forth a vision for comprehensive sexual health education programs in the United States.
State policy:State sex education policy may be governed by a state law as passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the state’s governor and/or the State Department of Education may have established state sex education standards. State policy on sex education can vary widely. As of 2012,
30 states have no law that governs sex education, and schools are not required to provide it
25 states mandate that sex education, if taught, must include abstinence, but do not require it to include contraception.
Six states mandate that sex education include either a ban on discussing homosexuality, or material about homosexuality that is overtly discriminatory.[22]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Each state has a department of education headed by a chief state school officer, more commonly known as the Superintendent of Public Instruction or the Commissioner of Education (titles vary by state). State departments of education are generally responsible for disbursing state and federal funds to local school districts, setting parameters for the length of school day and year, teacher certification, testing requirements, graduation requirements, developing learning standards and promoting professional development. Generally, the chief state school officer is appointed by the Governor, though in a few states they are elected.[23]
State departments of education may also have Standards which provide benchmark measures that define what students should know and be able to do at specified grade levels. These sometimes, but not always, address sexual health education. For instance, Connecticut and New Jersey have standards similar to the National Sexuality Education Standards in place and which address reproduction, prevention of STIs and pregnancy, and healthy relationships. A number of other states have general health education standards which do not directly address sexual health, while others make mention of HIV/STI prevention and abstinence but don’t demand the most thorough instruction in sexual health.[24]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Local Policy: At the school district level, Pre-K-12 public schools are generally governed by local school boards (with the exception of Hawaii which does not have any local school board system). Local school boards are typically comprised of 5 to 7 members who are either elected by the public or appointed by other government officials.[21]
Local school boards are responsible for ensuring that each school in their district is in compliance with the laws and policies set by the state and federal government. Local school board also have broad decision and rule-making authority with regards to the operations of their local school district, including determining the school district budget and priorities; curriculum decisions such as the scope and sequence of classroom content in all subject areas; and textbook approval authority. [21]Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Typically, school boards set the sex education policy for a school district. They must follow state law. Some school boards provide guidelines or standards, while others select specific curricula for schools to deliver. Most school boards are advised by School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs). SHAC members are individuals who represent the community and who provide advice about health education.[21]
How can I work for comprehensive sexual health education for students in my community?
There are a number of ways to help ensure that students get the information they need to live healthy lives, build healthy relationships, and take personal responsibility for their health and well being.
Urge your Members of Congress to support the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, in person, by phone, or online.
Contact your school board and urge them to adopt the National Sexuality Education Standards and require comprehensive sexual health programs.Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
Join a School Health Advisory Council in your area – both young people and adults are eligible to serve on most.
Organize within your community – a group of individuals, or a coalition of like-minded organizations – to do one or all of the above.
Conclusion
Young people have the right to lead healthy lives. As they develop, we want them to take more and more control of their lives so that as they get older, they can make important life decisions on their own. The balance between responsibility and rights is critical because it sets behavioral expectations and builds trust while providing young people with the knowledge, ability, and comfort to manage their sexual health throughout life in a thoughtful, empowered and responsible way. But responsibility is a two-way street. Society needs to provide young people with honest, age-appropriate information they need to live healthy lives, and build healthy relationships, and young people need to take personal responsibility for their health and well being. Advocates must also work to dismantle barriers to sexual health, including poverty and lack of access to health care. Adolescent Education on Safe Sex Culture Essay
