Sex Education: The Parent's Perspective

Presents summary findings from the first in-depth statewide poll of California parents on school-based comprehensive sex education

Sexually Transmitted Infections Among California Youth: Estimated Incidence and Direct Medical Cost, 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence and the direct medical cost of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young persons in California and each of its 58 counties, and to better inform discussions about statewide policies and local resources needed for STI prevention and control efforts. Methods: On the basis of the methods developed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention we estimated the statewide number of new cases of eight major STIs among young persons aged 15 to 24 years in California in 2005: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, trichomoniasis, and HIV. We also calculated the direct medical cost of these STIs using national cost-per-case estimates. To inform local policy discussions about STI control efforts, the statewide estimates were allocated by county. Results: An estimated 1.1 million new cases of STIs occurred among young persons in California in 2005, with a direct medical cost of $1.1 billion. The estimated number of new cases within counties ranged from a low of 82 in Alpine and Sierra counties, at a cost of$38,000, to a high of about 360,000 in Los Angeles County, at a cost of $390 million. Conclusions: These estimates illustrate the widespread and frequently underreported incidence and costs of youth STIs in California and its counties, and provide the foundation for a comprehensive assessment of youth STI prevention needs

Sexuality Information Needs of Latino and African American Ninth Graders: A Content Analysis of Anonymous Questions

This study used qualitative content analysis to examine anonymous questions about sex and sexuality submitted by Latino and African American adolescents in Los Angeles, California, classrooms. The majority of questions asked about sexuality and sexual behavior, or anatomy and physiology, with fewer questions about pregnancy and pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infections, and condoms. Overall, a notable mix was found of questions implying exposure to or awareness of a wide range of sexual activities, together with questions demonstrating fundamental misunderstandings or confusion about some of the most basic aspects of sex and sexuality. Gender differences emerged across topics, subtopics, and question types. The results of this study suggest that differences exist between what Latino and African-American teens yearn to know about sex and sexuality, and what information they are getting on these topics from other sources. This reinforces the importance of considering the concerns and needs of the intended audience in designing and evaluating health education programs

Statewide Policy Advocacy Intervention in California: The No Time for Complacency Initiative

California has made substantial progress since 1991 in reducing its teen birth rate, and its rate reduction now leads the nation. Yet more than 50,000 Californian teens continue to give birth each year, and many more became pregnant. And due to changing demographics and the recent reversal in the last decade’s poverty rate declines, California’s improvements are at risk. The No Time for Complacency (NTFC) initiative is a policy advocacy intervention designed to promote effective statewide teen pregnancy prevention policy and funding in California. This initiative employs legislative-district data analysis to provide a politically compelling organization of teen birth data, cost analyses to heighten the societal relevance of teen births, policy analysis to identify promising and effective state policies, and media advocacy to focus attention on these issues in all regions of the state. The process and results described show how it was possible to achieve impacts on state-level health policy and program funding

Perspectives on Conceptualizing Developmentally Appropriate Sexuality Education

Despite recognition of the importance of a developmentally appropriate approach to sexuality education, there is little direct guidance on how to do this. This study employed in-depth interviews with experienced sexuality educators and developers of sexuality education materials to identify how this concept is understood and applied in the field. Developmentally appropriate sexuality education was conceptualized consistently across interviews to include (a) addressing developmentally relevant topics, (b) adapting content to cognitive development, (c) accommodating developmental diversity, and (d) facilitating the internalization of sexual health messages. However, these views fell short of incorporating the breadth of knowledge offered by adolescent development research

Sexuality Education Websites for Adolescents: A Framework-Based Content Analysis

The web has unique potential for adolescents seeking comprehensive sexual health information. As such, it is important to understand the nature, scope, and readability of the content and messaging provided by sexuality educational websites. We conducted a content analysis of 14 sexuality education websites for adolescents, based on the 7 essential components (sexual and reproductive health and HIV, relationships, sexual rights and sexual citizenship, pleasure, violence, diversity, and gender) of the International Planned Parenthood Framework for Comprehensive Sexuality Education. A majority of content across all sites focused on sexual and reproductive health and HIV, particularly pregnancy and STI prevention, and other information about STIs and HIV. No other topic comprised more than 10% of content coverage across a majority of sites. The authors found little discussion of gender issues, sexual rights, sexual diversity, or sexual violence. Most sites provided brief references to sexual pleasure, generally moderated with cautionary words. The language used implied a heterosexual female audience. Reading levels for most sites were above the 9th-grade level, with several at the college level. These findings have implications for enhancing online sexuality education and broadening the coverage of essential topics

Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Parent–Adolescent Communication About Sex: A Representative Statewide Analysis

Sexual communication is a principal means of transmitting sexual values, beliefs, expectations, and knowledge between parents and children. Although this area has received considerable research attention, more studies with representative samples are needed to assure that findings are reflective of populations of interest. A representative statewide sample of households with adolescents (N = 907) from a large and diverse state in the United States was employed to examine the content and extent of sexual communication between parents and their adolescents, and the influence of selected primary demographic (age and gender), socio-demographic (Hispanic ethnicity, education, and religious attendance), and psychological (self-reported comfort, knowledge, and sexual communication difficulties) factors on the number of topics discussed. More than two-thirds of the parents reported experiencing some type of sexual communication difficulty, such as developmental concerns and embarrassment. Hierarchical regression results indicated that self-reported comfort, knowledge, and sexual communication difficulties strongly predicted the number of topics discussed, beyond the effect of demographic variables. These findings reinforce the notion that sexual communication between parents and adolescents can be universally challenging, and parents of both genders, all ages, and all socio-demographic characteristics might benefit from education and support

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals