Traditional Sources of Sexual Education: Schools and ParentsĬurrently, 35 states mandate either sex education or HIV/AIDS/STI education, which can take the form of abstinence-only sex education or comprehensive sex education-an educational technique that combines aspects of abstinence and safe sex ( Guttmacher Institute, 2006).
Data from the School Health Policies and Program Study in 2000 found that 92% of middle and junior high schools, and 96% of high schools taught abstinence as the best way to avoid HIV and STIs ( Centers for Disease Control, 2000). However, 11 evaluations of abstinence-only sex education showed little evidence of long-term changes on attitudes and intentions of youth ( Hauser, 2004) among these studies, some showed negative impacts of abstinence-only education, including youths’ reported unwillingness to use contraception when engaging in sexual behaviors.
