Washington, D.C., Students Disapprove Of Sex Education Program, Survey Finds

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 26 Oct 2009 - 1:00 PST

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Public high school students in Washington, D.C., who participated in focus groups said they are not impressed with the district's sex education curriculum and do not trust the school nurses who are required to give counseling on prevention of sexually transmitted infections, according to a survey by the Youth Sexual Health Project, the Washington Post reports. The findings of the study were discussed on Wednesday at a hearing of the D.C. Council Committee on Health, which funded the study. Committee Chair David Catania (I) said, "This has never been done by a committee," but "it's been an elephant in the room, an unaddressed issue for years: What are we doing with respect to the sexual health of our children? No one wanted to tackle it." According to the district's health department, 13% of students screened for STIs in 2008 tested positive.

The survey involved 10 focus groups totaling 250 students and was administered between April and October. Although the survey's sample size was too small to generalize the results to the school system's 12,000 students, researchers said the participants provided valuable insights into the best ways to promote sexual education for students who feel the curriculum is outdated and out of tune with their experiences. For example, several girls said they were not likely to carry condoms because of fear of being labeled promiscuous. Others said they felt embarrassed to talk to school nurses about sex and condoms. One student compared the experience to "talking to your mom."

The researchers said that students also "have very strong opinions about particular brands of condoms," according to the Post. Students consider Durex condoms -- which are distributed by the health department under a contract -- "lame and more likely to pop or break," the Post reports. Students said they prefer the brands Trojan or Magnum. The students' opinions about condoms "play an important role in a youth's decision to use a product," whether those opinions are "factually correct or not," the researchers wrote.

Health officials say that honest discussions about sexual relationships are the foundation for good sex education and that condom distribution is an important element of the curriculum. However, the students in the survey said the instruction they receive in school does not reflect the real-life situations they face, such as how to communicate with a partner who pushes for unprotected sex. The students also said that the school nurses were "judgmental and untrustworthy," making it unlikely that students would seek advice from them.

The researchers created a focus group of six nurses to examine evidence of the disconnect with students. The researchers found that although nurses are contractually required to promote educational programs on STIs and health, "there is a lack of clarity as to the role of school nurses with respect to the delivery of sexual health information." The district's school system has 200 nurses for 12,000 students -- about one for every 245 students -- and the nurses in the focus groups said there is little time to counsel students on anything.

The researchers recommended that educators and nurses work with student leaders to develop ways to engage students. They suggested text messaging students' cell phones with sexual health information or posting advice on the social networking site Facebook (Fears, Washington Post, 10/22).

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