Sex education in schools: what teenagers really know?
Conference Paper
Overview
Research
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
In the current framework of guidance considers the obligation to address sexual education in schools in Portugal (Law No. 60/2009 of 6 August, Order No. 196-A / 2010 of 9 April). Objectives: To identify students knowledge in relation to new legislation and basics of sex education.
Cross-sectional study with a sample with 530 students from secondary schools of a northern region of Portugal. The assessment protocol includes sociodemographic questionnaire (Correia 2004) and it was applied from October to December of 2011. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. The informed consent was obtain from schools.
The proportion of students who know the current law on sex education in schools is 37.4%, the proportion of female students who know this law is greater than that of males (41.3% vs. 32.2%). Exist a statistical significant association between this knowledge and sex (p = 0.037), continuing the girls the most informed group. About 30% of students in this sample doesn't identify basic concepts of sexual and reproductive health and family planning neither sexually transmitted infections. In relation to knowledge about contraception also found a statistical significant association with sex (p <0.000), with a higher proportion of knowledge for the female group who also knows more than a contraceptive method (78.7% vs. 55.7%).
The weak information of adolescents knowledge about sex education and gender differences still seem to persist in spite of the existence of sex education in schools from Portugal. Maybe sex education should be a subject in a curriculum from a school, being responsible for this subject a teacher that must be specialized in the area of sexuality.
Introduction: In the current framework of guidance considers the obligation to address sexual education in schools in Portugal (Law No. 60/2009 of 6 August, Order No. 196-A / 2010 of 9 April). Objectives: To identify students knowledge in relation to new legislation and basics of sex education.
Methods: Cross-sectional study with a sample with 530 students from secondary schools of a northern region of Portugal. The assessment protocol includes sociodemographic questionnaire (Correia 2004) and it was applied from October to December of 2011. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. The informed consent was obtain from schools.
Results: The proportion of students who know the current law on sex education in schools is 37.4%, the proportion of female students who know this law is greater than that of males (41.3% vs. 32.2%). Exist a statistical significant association between this knowledge and sex (p = 0.037), continuing the girls the most informed group. About 30% of students in this sample doesn't identify basic concepts of sexual and reproductive health and family planning neither sexually transmitted infections. In relation to knowledge about contraception also found a statistical significant association with sex (p <0.000), with a higher proportion of knowledge for the female group who also knows more than a contraceptive method (78.7% vs. 55.7%).
Conclusions: The weak information of adolescents knowledge about sex education and gender differences still seem to persist in spite of the existence of sex education in schools from Portugal. Maybe sex education should be a subject in a curriculum from a school, being responsible for this subject a teacher that must be specialized in the area of sexuality.
