Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a communitybased comprehensive sex education program among unmarried youth in China. The impact of the intervention on sexual knowledge, attitudes, and sexual initiation were assessed, using a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental research design. The program used six methods for providing sex-related knowledge and reproductive health services to youth aged 15-24 over a period of 20 months. A total of 1,220 youth participated in the program (intervention group) while 1,007 youth did not receive the intervention (control group). We found that while the intervention did not directly deter youth from initiating sexual activity, it significantly increased youth's sex-related knowledge. The intervention also had a significant effect on males' attitudes about sex. It made the attitudes of males more conservative. The results suggest that comprehensive sex education programs for young people can be effective in imparting important information regarding sexual health and HIV/AIDS prevention, and also suspending the age-normative trend toward more favorable sexual attitudes, especially among young men.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 43-64 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention in Children and Youth |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 12 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The research on which this article is based was supported by grants from the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of Reproductive Health and Research (Project 98289 BSDA).
Keywords
- Attitudes
- China
- Intervention
- Reproductive health services
- Sex education
- Sex-related knowledge
- Sexual initiation
