Thursday, December 20, 2007

Sex education... works?!

Feministing and the Journal of Adolescent Health provided me with a perfect follow-up to yesterday's post.

Hopefully this empirical evidence gets the government's attention to put more money into sex ed as apposed to abstinance only education in schools.

Here's the abstract for all us fellow psych nerds:


Purpose
Sex education is intended to provide youth with the information and skills needed to make healthy and informed decisions about sex. This study examined whether exposure to formal sex education is associated with three sexual behaviors: ever had sexual intercourse, age at first episode of sexual intercourse, and use of birth control at first intercourse.

Methods
Data used were from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, a nationally representative survey. The sample included 2019 never-married males and females aged 15–19 years. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using SUDAAN. Interactions among subgroups were also explored.

Results
Receiving sex education was associated with not having had sexual intercourse among males (OR = .42, 95% CI = .25–.69) and postponing sexual intercourse until age 15 among both females (OR = .41, 95% CI = .21–.77) and males (OR = .29, 95% CI = .17–.48). Males attending school who had received sex education were also more likely to use
birth control the first time they had sexual intercourse (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.13–6.81); however, no associations were found among females between receipt of sex education and birth control use. These patterns varied among sociodemographic subgroups.

Conclusions
Formal sex education may effectively reduce adolescent sexual risk behaviors when provided before sexual initiation. Sex education was found to be particularly important for subgroups that are traditionally at high risk for early initiation of sex and for contracting sexually transmitted diseases.



I only have one word for this: "Duh."

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing cures lust like nagging! If you want to teach the Guys the Abstinance Method, just give them an hour's worth of feminine nagging per week. When Guys find out what NAGS their Girlfriends are, they will think twice before they act upon their animal desires. Heck, some will even take Vows of Celibacy!

Radical Reminders said...

Too much of a coward to leave a name, Anonymous? What a cool guy you must be.

Anonymous said...

Congratulation!

Of all of the Women that I have seen blog, you are the BEST NAG OF ALL!!!

If only I had met you years earlier, I'd still be a HAPPY BACHELOR!!! Then, would I have seen the advantages of Abstinance, NAY! CELIBACY, when Animal Lust clouded my judgement on my way to Holy Matrimony!

I PRAISE you, O GREAT ONE, for the invaluable contributions you qre making to the causes of Abstinance and celibacy!

Radical Reminders said...

hm... i see...

Can you relay a message from me to your partner? Can you wish her/him the best of luck because you seem like a giant toolbox. Please hit me up if you ever want to have an actual conversation rather than leaving ignorant and irrelevant comments on my blog...

Maybe you should put all that free time you have to good use and learn something...?

Anonymous said...

Good Idea! I'm going into the Priesthood and am becoming a Marriage Counselor. I have learned much Wisdom that I must impart to the Love-Sick Lads before they make the Mistaake of Their Lives.

I am grateful for your inspiration, O Great Muse of Feminism!

Your Friend,

Al Bundy

D said...

Hey Anonymous/Al Bundy,

The best mistake, other than you, is the fact that you can't even bother to spell mistake. Oh Gods of digital space, I pray you find it in your infinite wisdom the chance to grant this idiot the power of spell check,

Your best friend,
Dave

Anonymous said...

Dave:

I wish you a thousand years of Happily Wedded Bliss, such as the joys that I have experienced!

Al Bundy