UW Researchers Say Comprehensive Sex Ed Cuts Teen Pregnancies

This news article describes a study carried out in the United States to compare two sex education strategies: a comprehensive approach, which typically includes discussion of condoms and birth control methods as well as abstinence, and abstinence-only education, which teaches only to say no to sex before marriage. The findings from a University of Washington (UW) study carried out to assess these two strategies seem to indicate that the federal government's decade-long promotion of an abstinence-only curriculum isn't deterring young people from having sex.

Researchers analysed records of 1,719 American youth aged 15 to 19 taken from a 2002 federal survey on families. Sixty-seven percent had taken comprehensive sex-education classes; 24% had received abstinence-only education; and 9% received no sex education. The study found that teenagers who received the comprehensive sex education were half as likely to become teen parents as peers who received abstinence-only sex education (and 60% less likely to report a pregnancy than those without any sex education). Furthermore, teens who had comprehensive education were no more likely to engage in intercourse than peers exposed to abstince-only education. The study found no difference in the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among participants in both programmes.

According to the article, conservative groups (and the federal government, since 1996) contend that abstinence programmes help delay sexual activity and reduce illegitimate births. Yet, compared with other so-called developed nations, the United States have higher rates of teen pregnancy, abortion rates, and prevalence of STIs. This study provides evidence, according to its lead author, that more and accurate information about sex for teens is the most effective approach.