“It falls on all our shoulders”: Overcoming Barriers to Delivering Sex Education in West Texas Schools

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities exist in rates of teen birth and sexually transmitted infections. Increasing access to comprehensive sex education is one risk reduction strategy for these outcomes, yet access to and quality of sex education in schools often falls far below recommended standards, particularly in Texas. The current exploratory study examines barriers to effectively delivering sex education in West Texas schools and identifies strategies to help overcome these barriers. METHODS: In-depth interviews with school leaders and health education professionals (n=4) were conducted to understand teen sexual health needs in West Texas. Interviews were analyzed using descriptive coding, memoing, and quote matrices to interpret the data. RESULTS: Participants identified a number of policy-, organizational-, and interpersonal-level barriers to delivering sex education in public schools. School personnel experienced intense time pressures, a lack of institutional support, and tension with parents. Many expressed a desire to work more collaboratively with parents and participants acknowledged the important role of school health advisory councils (SHACs). CONCLUSIONS: School personnel face complex challenges at multiple levels when attempting to deliver sex education in public schools. Despite these challenges, SHACs represent a valuable opportunity for communities to work collaboratively to improve sex education in public schools