Formal education about sexual health and birth control in the U.S. is on the decline, according to a study. Teens are no longer given proper sex education especially in rural areas in the country.
In 1995, four out of five teens were taught about birth control, according to Laura Duberstein Lindberg, lead author of the study from The Guttmacher Institute in New York. Today, the data shows less than three out of five teens are taught about sexual health.
The study used interviews of 15 to 19-year olds from nationwide household surveys from 2006 to 2010 and 2011 to 2013. The response included surveys from 2,000 boys and 1,000 girls, according to Huffington Post.
Aside from being asked questions about receiving formal sex education from a school, church or community center, the teens were asked questions regarding methods of birth control, AIDS, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The second part of the survey included questions about knowing how to use condoms and where to get birth control. Teens were also asked whether they discussed sex education topics with a parent or guardian.
About 61 percent of the boys and 70 percent of the girls said they received formal instruction about birth control from the 2006 to 2010 surveys. About 55 percent of boys and 60 percent of girls, on the other hand, reported the same response from the 2011 to 2013 surveys.
Most of the decline in formal sex education was reported in rural areas, according to the researcher's report published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Compared to their urban peers, teens in rural areas are more vulnerable to negative sexual health outcomes.
The changes in formal sex education are likely due to the changes in the public education system, according to Brian Goesling of the Mathematical Policy Research based in Princeton, New Jersey. Goesling explains that schools are placing more focus on academic standards and student achievements compared to formal sex education.
Sex education has always been political in the U.S., as many have encouraged abstinence-only until marriage programs. Although teen pregnancy is on the decline, the drop could be more drastic if comprehensive sex education was better implemented, according to Lindberg.
Teens relying on their parents to provide necessary information about sex is not enough. Lindberg explains that schools should take part in educating, so teens would have the skills and information to enjoy the best health possible, according to Guttmacher.
