Rapid Responses to:
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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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Sex Education Outcomes
- Violet J. Willis (15 June 2002)
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Nothing works!
- Nikhil C Kaushik (20 June 2002)
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Re: Nothing works!
- Dale M. O'Leary, Richard Fitzgibbons, (20 June 2002)
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Re: Sex Education Outcomes
- faryal mahar (21 June 2002)
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Peer Interventions
- Rey A. Carr (21 June 2002)
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Sex education
- Amy L. Cavender (21 June 2002)
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WHAT ABOUT THE A PAUSE PROGRAMME
- Lynda Chadwick (29 June 2002)
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Additional strategy required for sex education
- Rachel G Pryke (4 July 2002)
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Violet J. Willis
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It is of no surprise to me regarding your outcome for the study of sex education and teen pregnancy. I think detailed and graphic sex education classes actually arouse curiosity of teenagers with regard to sex. That curiosity coupled with the current lack of discipline (i.e. parents wanting to be buddies with their children) and parent innatention due to dual careers which leads to teens being home alone for long periods of time during the afternoon leads to sexual experimentation. Teens as young as 13 are now becoming sexually active. This coupled with a teenage brain that is not mature and cannot make adult decisions (in the US you can't smoke until you are 18 and cannot drink until the age of 21) creates a culture of reckless behavior sexually and a maturity level not ready to handle all the strong emotional response of "caring" stable relationships that sexuality should foster between two people. Instead teens begin a cycle of multiple transient sexual excounters with no lasting emotional ties between partners. This causes emotional pain and perpetuates the problem by the individual seeking out more sex to fill the emotional void - riskier behavior that usually ends in a unwanted teen pregnancy. The solutions to the problem of teen pregnancy is very simple, but hard for clinicians and politicians to swallow. 1. Shame must be brought back by parents and guardians of teenagers. For generations, this was the number one cultural response to a unwanted teen pregnancy. 2. Parents must get involved with their childrens lives. I just can't believe that a few hours per night and maybe the family gets together on the weekends - know what their teens do and who the child's friends are. Tax breaks for parents who decide to have one breadwinner in the family is much better than dual career households. At least one parent is home to monitor the teens life and be there for them when they come home from school. 3. End graphic sex education in schools. Teens should be tought the biology around sex including contraception use but any other education or issues regarding sex should be taught by the parents of the child. 4. If a teens do get pregnant encourage adoption as a solution. The child will be raised by stable, loving parents who want the child and can provide a better life than an immature 13-18 year old. If the adoption option fails, strongly encourage marriage between the couple who concieve a child and finally if this fails, legally make sure the mother indicates who the father is so the child can be financially supported later when the father gets a job. Hope the above helps for future studies. Violet J. Willis |
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Nikhil C Kaushik, Consultant Ophthalmologist Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham LL13 7TD
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Most kind of education does not work! Why single out sex education? |
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Dale M. O'Leary, writer P.,O. Box 41294, Providence RI, Richard Fitzgibbons,
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If the goal of sex education is reducing sexually transmitted diseases and unwed pregnancy, it is a major disaster, but if as my research suggests the goal is to promote the sexual revolution and get kids to have sex with kids, it has been a monumental success. Dale O'Leary |
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faryal mahar, Spr in gum and HIV West London sexual Health ctre. sw10 9ng
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I totally agree with the response by Violet j. Willis. 1. The stress should be on that sex education starts at home. 2. Use of graphics increases the curiosity and need for experimentation in young adults.Hence the need to change the entire strategy and curriculum for sex education. The parents should be involved, not only to see the vidio tape of the film their children will be shown but to actively participate according to the changing needs and understanding of the adolescents. |
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Rey A. Carr, CEO Peer Resources, Canada
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How long will sex education continue to rely on the false promise of adult-led information sessions? Providing opportunities for peers to be trained and supervised to offer peer-based sex education is the key to respectful sexuality practices, reducing unintended pregnancies, increasing condom use, and reducing the transmission of disease. For more information on how this works, visit our non-commercial site at <www.peer.ca/peer.html> |
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Amy L. Cavender, Health Educator Texas, 78667
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It seems to me that there is a vast difference between the following statements: 1. "Sex education does not work." 2. "One particular specially-designed sex education program doesn't work any better than the sex education we were already doing." People are going to sensationalize and distort the results of this study if that distinction isn't made clear. The story-header on your front page poses a question ("Does sex education work?") that is not answered by the authors. Amy Cavender, M.Ed. |
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Lynda Chadwick, School Nurse Sexual Health Lead Keighley Health CentreBD21 1SA
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Sex education dose not work,it says so in the BMJ,said a rather smug community Paediatrician. I was therefor intrested to read the whole article for myself. My role this year to promote and support the other school nurses in Airedale PCT advance the devlopment of a spiriling sex and realationships education across all our primary and secondary schools. Iam aslo a family planning nurse and on several occassions have heard the A Pause Programme developed in Exeter University heralded as the only sex eduction programme proven to reduce the age of first intercourse. Is this not so? Even if the limited package of education mentioned in the article were freely available to all schools it would be as nieve to think that it would reduce the pregnancy rate in isolation. After all 15 lessons on healthy eating would not reduce coronary heart disease.Fortunately school nurses are aware of the need to adopt a multy faceted approach in our area we encourage parents to talk to their children in an open and supportive way, we work with the Health for MemTeam to promote shared responsiblity in relationships education in school.The most intersting finding in this research for me would be the cofirmation of my own observation that family coposition and parental monitoring are signficant factors in teen pregnacy.The difficlty is finding the solution. |
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Rachel G Pryke, GP Winyates Health Centre, Redditch, B98 0NR
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Dear Sir, It is almost 20 years since Victoria Gillick attempted to force doctors to obtain parental consent before treating children. Her legacy in fact was to totally remove any parental role in the provision of contraception for youngsters. We now have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe and second highest in the world. Government led attempts to curb this have focused on endless teenage initiatives, providing ready access to free contraception and advice.1. The latest announcement of free condoms available through schools is yet another variation on the same theme and will surely contribute insignificantly.2. In a Nottingham study, many teenagers who became pregnant had sought contraceptive services in the preceding twelve months. 3. Hence, contraceptive failure is as significant a factor as simple access to contraception. Over the last generation, there has been a major sea change in parental attitude, with a whole generation of parents who are now tolerant of sex on TV, jokes about drugs and the concept of teenagers experimenting with sex. They represent a huge and currently untapped resource that could help in guiding teenagers about contraception. Parents are informed that their child is having sex education in school, but are not actively invited to partake of this process. Parents would benefit from knowing that talking about sex does not encourage teenagers to experiment at an earlier age. It is likely that youngsters that use contraception will do so more effectively if parents are aware of this fact. Teenagers will benefit from knowing their own parent’s specific view on their personal use of contraception, rather than a general discussion of the birds and the bees. Many teenagers might be relieved to find their parents open minded and sensible, underneath the British ‘stiff upper lip’ exterior, if only both parties were better able to communicate their views. Setting out a programme to help parents clearly convey their views and, hopefully, to give their teenager parental permission to use contraception, (and possibly practical help in obtaining it) may sound non - PC and rather old fashioned, but at least it merits piloting and could be an additional strategy to those currently planned. 1. Wight D, Raab G, Henderson M, et al. Limits of teacher delivered sex education: interim behavioural outcomes from randomised trial. BMJ 2002; 324:1430-3 2. Kirby D, Resnick MD, Downes B, et al. The effects of school-based health clinics in St Paul on school-wide birthrates. Fam Plan Perspect 1993; 25:12-16. 3. Churchill D, Allen J, Pringle M, et al. Consultation patterns and provision of contraception in general practice before teenage pregnancy: case control study. BMJ 2000; 321:486-9. Dr Rachel Pryke. General practitioner and family planning doctor.
No competing interests. |
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