Abstinence and abstinence-only education: A review of U.S. policies and programs

Santelli, John; Ott, Mary A.; Lyon, Maureen E.; Rogers, Jennifer; Summers, Daniel; Schleifer, Rebecca

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.10.006

Cited by 407 publications

(301 citation statements)

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“…90,91 Federal money should be spent on comprehensive sex education programs but not on abstinence-only programs, which have been found to be ineffective. 35,[65][66][67][68][92][93][94] 5. Pediatricians should urge the broadcast industry to air advertisements for birth control products.…”

Section: Positive Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…33 The media are powerful sources for behavioral "scripts" concerning sexual situations, especially for inexperienced teenagers. 2,34 Yet, parents and legislators fail to understand that although they may favor abstinenceonly sex education (despite the lack of any evidence of its effectiveness), 35 the media are decidedly not abstinence only. In fact, the United States has some of the most sexually suggestive media in the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media

Strasburger¹

2010

Pediatrics

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From a health viewpoint, early sexual activity among US adolescents is a potential problem because of the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. New evidence points to the media adolescents use frequently (television, music, movies, magazines, and the Internet) as important factors in the initiation of sexual intercourse. There is a major disconnect between what mainstream media portray-casual sex and sexuality with no consequences-and what children and teenagers need-straightforward information about human sexuality and the need for contraception when having sex. Television, film, music, and the Internet are all becoming increasingly sexually explicit, yet information on abstinence, sexual responsibility, and birth control remains rare. It is unwise to promote "abstinence-only" sex education when it has been shown to be ineffective and when the media have become such an important source of information about "nonabstinence." Recommendations are presented to help pediatricians address this important issue. Pediatrics 2010;126:576-582 INTRODUCTIONEarly sexual activity among teenagers can be problematic. According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 46% of all high school seniors have had sexual intercourse, and 14% have had 4 partners or more. 1 Although pregnancy rates have generally been decreasing since 1991, the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the Western world, 2 and for the first time in 15 years, the birth rate increased 3% from 2005 to 2006. 3 Early intercourse also increases the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI), including HIV, and adolescents have one of the highest STI rates of any age group. 4 Although 15-to 24-year-olds account for only one-quarter of the sexually active population in the United States, they contract nearly half of all new STIs every year. 4 A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 1 in 4 teenagers has had an STI. 5 Ten percent of young women who had first had sex in their teenage years reported that their first time was involuntary, and the younger they were, the more likely that was the case. 6 WHAT CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS LEARN FROM THE MEDIAAmerican children and teenagers spend more than 7 hours/day with a variety of different media. 7 Those media are filled with sexual messages and images, many of which are unrealistic. 2 On television (TV), which remains the predominant medium in terms of time spent for all young people, more than 75% of prime-time programs contain sexual THE COUNCIL ON COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

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Section: Positive Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media

Strasburger¹

2010

Pediatrics

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“…The vast majority of school-based sex education programs do not address the concerns and questions of many YMSM (6), and data suggest that YMSM are less likely to receive school-based sex education at all (7) despite their desire for it (8). In fact, four recent reviews that identified more than 60 published articles on randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies on HIV risk reduction interventions for adolescents (~age < 19) failed to find one effective intervention targeted at YMSM (9)(10)(11)(12).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial health problems increase risk for HIV among urban young men who have sex with men: Preliminary evidence of a syndemic in need of attention

et al. 2007

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“…The first is the abstinence-onlyuntil-marriage paradigm, according to which sex outside of heterosexual marriage is always wrong and harmful (Santelli et al, 2006). The second is the sex-as-risk paradigm, which defines adolescent sexuality in terms of risk and risk taking (Michaud, 2006).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Abstinence and Risk: A New Paradigm for Adolescent Sexual Health

Schalet

2011

Women's Health Issues

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Abstinence and abstinence-only education: A review of U.S. policies and programs

Cited by 407 publications

References 31 publications

Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media

Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media

Psychosocial health problems increase risk for HIV among urban young men who have sex with men: Preliminary evidence of a syndemic in need of attention

Beyond Abstinence and Risk: A New Paradigm for Adolescent Sexual Health

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