In

the NEWS News Director: Gail M. Pfeifer, MA, RN

E-mail: ajnNews@wolterskluwer.com

Comprehensive Sex Education for Teens Is More

Effective than Abstinence
Abstinence-only programs are associated with increased
pregnancy and birth rates.

T
he United States has the
highest rates of teenage
pregnancy and sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs)
among developed countries—
but the appropriate response
has been contested because of
debate over how sex education
should be taught. Some federal
laws promote an abstinence-only
approach. Such legislation pro-
vides funds for abstinence-based
programs and prohibits most
programs from providing infor-
mation about contraception or
safer-sex practices. A recent study,
however, has found that not only
does that approach to sex educa- Sex education teacher Shayna Knowles talks to students at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Lake Worth,
tion fail to prevent teenage preg- Florida, where for a little more than a year the federal government has been funding sex education
nancies, it’s positively correlated programs that aren’t based solely on abstinence. Photo by Alan Diaz / Associated Press.
with increases in teenage pregnan-
cies and births. pregnancy and births. Of the four Barbara Huberman, a nurse
The sex education laws and approaches, the most effective was and director of education and
policies in each of the 48 states level 1, which included compre- outreach for Advocates for Youth,
studied were analyzed to deter- hensive sex or HIV education (or noted that a major initiative, the
mine the extent to which the state both) and covered contraception, Future of Sex Education, created
emphasized abstinence in its condom use, and abstinence. new National Sexuality Educa-
sex education program. (North Anne Teitelman, assistant pro- tion Standards, which were re-
Dakota and Wyoming were ex- fessor of nursing at the University leased in January (to read the
cluded, as they had no state law of Pennsylvania, responded to the standards, go to http://bit.ly/
or policy regarding sex or STD study by saying that with this ad- zbbN8R). “Among developed
and HIV education as of 2005.) ditional evidence, NPs in family countries, we’re the last to create
States were assigned ordinal val- planning, adolescent health, and national standards for minimum,
ues from 0 to 3 in four categories school nursing can be confident essential core content and skills
of emphasis: no provision (0), ab- that providing comprehensive sex- in sex education,” Huberman
stinence covered (1), abstinence ual health information to youths says. “School nurses are the most
promoted (2), and abstinence is appropriate and effective. “Prac- trusted by parents to deliver sex
stressed (3). The most recent data ticing nurses can also reassure par- education,” she adds, and should
available from national reports ents,” she added, “that talking be trained as sexuality educators
on teenage pregnancy, teenage with their teenagers about sex and in providing “leadership in
births, and abortion rates among and contraception will not en- their school to adopt compre-
teens 15 to 19 years of age were courage sexual activity and will hensive sex education.”—David
from 2005. result in lessening the chance that Carter
Data analysis showed that young people will experience un-
the more abstinence was stressed, intended pregnancy or sexually Stanger-Hall KF, Hall DW. PLoS One 2011;
the higher were the rates of teen transmitted infections.” 6(10):e24658. Epub 2011 Oct 14.

ajn@wolterskluwer.com AJN ▼ March 2012 ▼ Vol. 112, No. 3 15