Association between receipt of school-based HIV education and contraceptive use among sexually active high school students - United States, 2011-2013

Contraceptive knowledge, prevalence of contraception use, and the association between sex education and contraception knowledge among university students in Michigan, USA

Background

The danger of sexual activities among adolescents is worrisome worldwide. This study aimed to delineate total contraception knowledge of university students and the prevalence of contraceptive use, in addition to the association between sex education in school and the students' contraception knowledge.

Materials and Methods

A school-based cross-sectional study was carried out.

Results

The mean total level of contraceptive knowledge was 16.53 ± 2.38, which ranged from 5 to 18. In response to which method was the most suitable for the youngsters, 36.3% responded pills, 49.2% condoms, 6.3% injection, 0.7% withdrawal, 0.5% periodic abstinence, and 5.9% other. Adjusted to sociodemographic characteristics and other confounders, students with a history of sex education in school tended to have a higher level of contraceptive knowledge than those without [AOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.15, 2.64]. Moreover, adjusted to the characteristics of one-night stands, students with a high level of contraceptive knowledge agreed that one-night stands were OK compared with those without the knowledge [AOR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.16, 1.13].

Conclusion

Although the total contraceptive knowledge was satisfactory, more attention should be paid to male students' education. Modern and long-term effective contraceptive methods had better be included in the training program.

National trends and disparate access to formal and informal sex education among youth involved with the child welfare system in the USA

This study aimed to understand whether youth involved with the child welfare system in the USA are receiving formal and informal sex education. Data come from the Second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing, a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents in contact with child protective services. Participants included young people (n=1093, aged 11-21) involved with the child welfare system. Participants reported whether they had received formal sex education about a) abstinence only; b) contraceptives/condoms only; c) abstinence and contraceptives/condoms; or d) none. They also reported whether they knew where to access family planning services. We examined the prevalence of sex education experiences and differences in sex education access and knowledge based on participants' pregnancy history and sociodemographic characteristics. Only half (49%) of participants had received any form of formal sex education. Pregnant youth were less likely to have received any sex education compared to non-pregnant youth (p=.045). 72% of adolescents who had received sex education about contraceptives/condoms reported knowing where to access family planning services compared to only 46% of adolescents who had not received sex education about contraceptives/condoms (p=.014). There is a pressing need for comprehensive sex education among young people involved with the child welfare system in the USA.

Teen pregnancy in Chicago: Who is at risk?

BACKGROUND

Teenage pregnancy, with its associated health and social consequences for young people and society as a whole, is one of the nation's most important public health issues. The purpose of this study was to use Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data describe self-reported, pregnancy experiences in 9-12th grade Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students and identify teens at highest risk based on gender, grade-level, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

METHODS

Secondary data analysis of the 2017 CPS high school Youth Risk Behavior Survey was conducted.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 73% (n = 1,883). 4.9% (n = 91) of CPS students in grades 9 - 12 reported a pregnancy experience, and 1.9% (n = 34) reported being "unsure" of a pregnancy experience. Statistically significant differences in the likelihood of self-reporting a pregnancy experience were found based on grade level (p = .000), race (p = .023), and sexual orientation (p = .000).

CONCLUSION

While risk for a teen pregnancy experience varies across all groups, public health nurses can use YRBS data to better understand pregnancy risk in the populations they serve and can leverage core competencies, and robust community relationships to adapt, implement and evaluate evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs for maximum impact on teens at greatest risk.