Original articleConsequences of Sex Education on Teen and Young Adult Sexual Behaviors and Outcomes
Section snippets
Data
The data analyzed were from the 2006–2008 NSFG, a nationally representative household survey of U.S. male and female persons aged 15–44 years. The survey used a multistage, stratified, clustered sampling frame to collect interviews continuously from June 2006 to December 2008. Detailed survey methodology has been described elsewhere [14]. Information about the receipt of formal reproductive health education was collected in face-to-face interviews from respondents aged 15–24 years. An audio,
Bivariate
Two-thirds of sexually experienced females and 55% of sexually experienced male respondents received Ab + BC before first vaginal sex (Table 1). Approximately one in five respondents reported receiving only abstinence education before first sex. Sixteen percent of sexually experienced female and 24% of sexually experienced male respondents reported not receiving instruction in either topic before first sex. Receipt of sex education varied significantly by most of the covariates examined, with
Discussion
In this study, receipt of formal sex education before first sex, particularly that including instruction about both delaying sex and birth control methods, was associated with a range of healthier outcomes among adolescents and young adults as compared with not receiving instruction in either topic. Receipt of Ab + BC was associated with delayed onset of first sex, greater use of contraception or condoms at first sex, and healthier partnerships at first sex. Associations between Ab + BC and
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Lawrence Finer for technical assistance and reviewing several drafts of the article. The research on which this article is based was supported by The California Wellness Foundation. The conclusions and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the funder.
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