Opportunities and Challenges in Implementing and Evaluating School-Based Sex Education Programs

Despite recent declines, teen birth rates in the U.S. remain higher than in other industrialized nations [1]. Three quarters of teen pregnancies are unintended [2], and disparities persist between racial and ethnic groups [1]. There is evidence that sex education can reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy by delaying sexual activity and increasing the use of contraception [3]. While federal efforts have identified multiple evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs with impacts on sexual risk behaviors or reproductive health outcomes [3], it remains important to evaluate new programs with promising or innovative approaches to pregnancy prevention and update existing evidence-based programming to better align with the current needs of adolescents.
Source: Journal of Adolescent Health - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research