Title
Delaying sexual onset: outcome of a comprehensive sexuality education initiative for adolescents in public schools
Date Issued
01 December 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Ramírez-Villalobos D.
Monterubio-Flores E.A.
Gonzalez-Vazquez T.T.
Molina-Rodríguez J.F.
Ruelas-González M.G.
Publisher(s)
BioMed Central Ltd
Abstract
Background: A common risk behavior in adolescence is the early initiation of unprotected sex that exposes adolescents to an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. Schools are an ideal place to strengthen adolescents’ sexual knowledge and modify their behavior, guiding them to exercise responsible sexuality. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the knowledge of public secondary school teachers who received training in comprehensive education in sexuality (CES) and estimate the counseling’s effect on students’ sexual behavior. Methods: Seventy-five public school teachers were trained in participatory and innovative techniques for CES. The change in teacher knowledge (n = 75) was assessed before and after the training using t-tests, Wilcoxon ranks tests and a Generalized Estimate Equation model. The students’ sexual and reproductive behavior was evaluated in intervention (n = 650) and comparison schools (n = 555). We fit a logistic regression model using the students’ sexual debut as a dependent variable. Results: Teachers increased their knowledge of sexuality after training from 5.3 to 6.1 (p < 0.01). 83.3% of students in the intervention school reported using a contraceptive method in their last sexual relation, while 58.3% did so in the comparison schools. The students in comparison schools were 4.7 (p < 0.01) times more likely to start sexual initiation than students in the intervention schools. Conclusion: Training in CES improved teachers’ knowledge about sexual and reproductive health. Students who received counseling from teachers who were trained in participatory and innovative techniques for CES used more contraceptive protection and delayed sexual debut.
Volume
21
Issue
1
Language
English
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85110949325
PubMed ID
Source
BMC Public Health
ISSN of the container
14712458
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus