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Contraception education - why should it be done?
There is now a rigorous body of peer-reviewed evidence which demonstrates that well-designed adolescent sexual-health interventions are capable of significantly reducing sexual risk behaviour.1
Detailed analysis has shown that the most effective sexual health education programs satisfy the following key criteria:1
- Include sufficient classroom time to achieve program objectives;
- Provide teachers with training and administrative support;
- Employ theoretical models to develop and implement programming;
- Use elicitation research to ascertain student characteristics, needs, and optimal learning styles;
- Specifically target sexual behaviours that lead to unintended pregnancy and/or STI/HIV infection;
- Deliver and consistently reinforce prevention messages related to sexual limit setting, consistent condom use and other forms of contraception;
- Include activities that address social pressures related to adolescent sexual behaviour;
- Incorporate the necessary information, motivation, and skills to effectively perform sexual health promotion behaviours;
- Provide examples of and opportunities to practice (e.g. role plays) sexual limit setting, condom negotiation and other communication skills;
- Employ appropriate evaluation tools to assess program strengths and weakness in order to enhance subsequent programming.
References
- The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada. Sexual Health Education In The Schools: Questions And Answers. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality 2004; 13: 129-141. Available at: http://www.sieccan.org/
pdf/sexual_health_qs.pdf
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