(An item from the ISHN Member information service) A systematic review of over 700 studies of programs to reduce adolescent child bearing in low and middle income countries, published in issue #4, 2013 of Studies in Family Planning, reports that "A total of 737 studies published between 2000 and 2011 were reviewed; 19 were identified as meeting eligibility criteria. Studies were included that: evaluated program effects on adolescents and young people, either as the primary target population or as a subset of a broader target group; evaluated an intervention intended to reduce adolescent fertility or generate improvements on a related outcome; and reported childbearing-related outcomes. Evidence indicates that a variety of interventions may be successful at reducing fertility, including school-based programs, health counseling, and cash transfers. An overview of evaluation efforts to date is provided, and potential best practices are highlighted." Read more>>
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(An item from the ISHN Member information service) Several articles in a Supplementary Issue of Public Health Reports provide a comprehensive reframing of sexual health promotion, moving away from disease-focused, preventive strategies towards a holistic and health promoting approach. One article in the issue presents an excellent ecological analysis and then presents the principles that could underlie ecology-based actions. These principles include contextualizing the issues, using systemic thinking, focusing on relationships, acknowledging sexuality and emphasizing wellness. Another article reports on how the state or Oregon is shifting from a teen pregnancy strategy to a sexual health promotion approach. Two articles present indicators for monitoring progress in the US and Canada. Two articles discuss the impact of socio-economic status on teen pregnancy and early initiation of sexual activity. Read more>>
(An item from ISHN Member information service) Several articles in Issue #4 Supplement 2, 2012 of African Journal for Physical, Health Education, recreation & Dance describe the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of young people in different parts of Africa. One article notes the paucity of information about STD's among students in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Perceptions about condoms in Limpopo Province of SA was the fovus of the second article. A third article on students in that same province examined student awareness of the consequences of pregnancy. Read more>
(An item from ISHN Member information service) A systematic review reported in the December 2012 Issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health reports that ten studies out of 142 studies of new digital media interventions were of sufficient quality to be included (which says something already). The authors report that "Eight described Web-based interventions, one used mobile phones, and one was conducted on an SNS. Two studies significantly delayed initiation of sex, and one was successful in encouraging users of an SNS to remove sex references from their public profile. Seven interventions significantly influenced psychosocial outcomes such as condom self-efficacy and abstinence attitudes, but at times the results were in directions unexpected by the study authors. Six studies increased knowledge of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, or pregnancy. This area of research is emerging and rapidly changing. More data from controlled studies with longer (>1 year) follow-up and measurement of behavioral outcomes will provide a more robust evidence base." Read more.
(An item from ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #6, 2012 of Health & Social Care in the Community reports on changing sexual attitudes and behaviours among teens in China. The authors report that "A literature review was conducted between 2000 and 2010, using both English (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ASSIA) and Chinese language databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang database). Thirty-six studies were included and reviewed. It was found that young people reported poor sexual knowledge, especially in relation to reproductive matters and sexually transmitted infections. The media, such as television, magazines and the Internet, were seen as their main sources of information on sex. Despite the frequently reported liberal attitudes to sexual behaviour, only a small number of young people had already lost their virginity or been involved in pregnancies. Young men were more likely than young women to report having had sex, while respondents at vocational high schools were less likely to remain virgins than those at common/key high schools. Although the prevalence of sexual intercourse among Chinese teenagers was still lower than that reported in studies conducted in most western countries, the findings do reflect some changes in sexual values and behaviour of young people within the country. They also suggest the need to develop more comprehensive sex education programmes". Read more.
(An item from ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #5, 2012 of Sex Education recalls the important role played by a little handbook called The Little red Schoolbook, which was published in the 1960's and formed part of the sexual revolution underway at that time. The authors note that "After the book's publication in the UK, opponents were successful in pressing for its publisher's prosecution. The ensuing trial led to its withdrawal and its bowdlerisation. It is argued that the work played some part in changing social and sexual mores and sex education practice in the UK, being, in effect, the Urtext of the ‘harm reduction approach’ in sexual health education. The article caught my eye because in the early 1970's, I used the little book with my class of troubled students in a middle class high school in Montreal. The book included practical advice on sex for teens (my students used to enjoy watching me get embarrassed by its frankness) but also included invaluable survival advice for students who were barely tolerated in mainstream education at that time and who got little support at home. We used the book for class discussions and it was a great resource. Read more.
(An item from ISHN Member information service) An article in Issue #5, 2012 of Sex Education states that "sex education in England (and almost all other countries) has mostly focused on ‘damage limitation’, emphasising only the dangerous inevitability of pregnancy and childbirth after unprotected sex and the hazards of sexually transmitted diseases. This approach is largely based on restrictive notions of teenage sexuality, characterising teenagers as hypersexual beings for whom sexual drives continuously threaten to produce unwanted babies unless preventive action is taken. Thde authors go on to suggest that " Yet, recent demographic evidence shows that educated women in Europe continue to delay first childbirth for a number of reasons. At the same time they are also subject to seductive and deceptive media messages about the possibilities of conception at late reproductive age through reporting on ‘older’ celebrity mothers, and the role that reproductive technologies play in conquering infertility. In the light of these demographic trends, and the misleading hidden curriculum, this paper contends that discourses of damage limitation are no longer appropriate in sex education. Instead, if educated women are to gain full reproductive autonomy then new, more balanced conceptualisations of sex education that also incorporate appropriate messages about the finite nature of the reproductive lifespan are needed". Read more.
(An item taken from the daily/weekly/monthly ISHN Member information service) An analysis of the School Health profiles in 45 US states reveals that the commitment to effective school sexual health education may be waning. CDC analyzed 2008 and 2010 School Health Profiles data for public secondary schools in 45 states. This report summarizes the results of those analyses, which indicated that in 2010, compared with 2008, the percentage of secondary schools teaching 11 topics on HIV, other STD, and pregnancy prevention in a required course in grades 6, 7, or 8 was significantly lower in 11 states and significantly higher in none; the percentage of secondary schools teaching eight topics in a required course in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 was significantly lower in one state and significantly higher in two states; and the percentage of secondary schools teaching three condom-related topics in a required course in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 was significantly lower in eight states and significantly higher in three states. Read more...
The effectiveness of sexual health education is often debated in regard to whether such can delay the initiation or experimentation of sexual activity. As well, often the media reports the results of studies that report on first sexual intercourse as if this experimentation was ongoing and part of the ongoing behaviour of teens. Two reviews of sexual health education done for the CDC Community Guide review system help to correct those impressions by reporting on the impact of programs on several specific, key behaviours or outcomes. These include current sexual activity; frequency of sexual activity; number of sex partners; frequency of unprotected sexual activity; use of protection (condoms and/or hormonal contraception); pregnancy; and STIs. The results of these meta-analyses for comprehensive risk reduction showed favorable effects for all of the outcomes reviewed. For abstinence education, the meta-analysis showed a small number of studies, with inconsistent findings across studies. Read more..
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