Data Supporting a Comprehensive Approach to Reproductive and Sexual Health Education to Meet the Needs of Youth

In the United States, reproductive and sexual health education continues to be greatly debated. Although research documents a more comprehensive approach to sex education is preferred by the majority and is effective in reducing risky sexual behaviors among adolescents, current state level direction in Florida is promoting more abstinence education. This is concerning as adolescents continue to engage in risky sexual behaviors and experience high rates of sexually transmitted diseass, HIV, and unplanned pregnancy. Researchers in this study assessed support for sex education in one large district in the state of Florida to document the preferred approach and to identify specific topics perceived as being important to include. A total of 605 participants completed a 32-item survey administered through random digit dialing to include both landlines and cell phones. Data were analyzed using SAS® for Windows Version 9.4, with significance set at 5%. Pearson’s Chi-square tests were used to investigate differences in responses by participants’ characteristics, and several are noted in this study. Results document overwhelming support for a comprehensive approach to sex education, and support for a variety of topics to include in sex education for both middle school and high school students. These results confirm that the state of Florida’s push for a more restrictive curriculum is not consistent with the preference of the majority and does not meet the needs of youth. It is hoped that these results can better guide policy decisions while also supporting others in determining their local support to help promote positive change.