Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Sexual Health Sexual Health Society
Publishing on sexual health from the widest perspective
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SH > SH09040
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 6(4)

Pilot study of Australian school-based sexual health education: parents’ views

Allison Macbeth A B , Patricia Weerakoon A and Gomathi Sitharthan A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Health Science, University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe, NSW 1825, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: amac2799@usyd.edu.au

Sexual Health 6(4) 328-333 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH09040
Submitted: 10 April 2009  Accepted: 18 May 2009   Published: 13 November 2009

Abstract

Background: Sexually transmissible infections (STIs) among young Australians increased dramatically between 1997 and 2007 with rates of chlamydia increasing by 528% and rates of gonorrhoea by 169% among 15–19 year olds. High notification rates of STIs and teenage pregnancy point to the need to investigate sexual health education (SHE) in Australian schools. This first quantitative study investigated the attitudes and experiences of parents to SHE in Australian schools. Methods: One hundred and seventeen (117) Australian parents were recruited through purposive sampling and snowballing methods to complete an online questionnaire in 2007. Results: Most respondents (97.4%) support SHE in schools and 95.7% advocate schools and parents sharing responsibility. A majority (82.9%) believe SHE should begin in primary school with discrepancy as to when specific topics should be introduced. There is consensus for a comprehensive curriculum, including topics potentially seen as controversial such as ‘masturbation’. ‘Abstinence’ was chosen by 15.4% of parents to not be included in SHE curricula. Most parents rate the SHE their children have received in school as ‘fair’ in quality, and want access to resources to help them educate their children, including workshops at schools, information about school SHE, literature, and trained sexual health educators. Conclusions: Parents generally support SHE in schools. They want programs to begin in primary school. They consider the current school programs to be ‘fair’ in quality. Parents also point out the need for a more comprehensive curriculum and they want to be involved with schools in the development and delivery of SHE.

Additional keywords: parental attitudes.


References


[1] Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. In Ageing CDoHa. Canberra: Communicable Diseases, Australia; 2006.

[2] Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. In Ageing CDoHa . Canberra: Communicable Diseases, Australia; 2008.

[3] Avert. STD Statistics Worldwide; 2006. Available online at: http://www.avert.org/stdstatisticsworldwide.htm [verified December 2006].

[4] Agius P , Dyson S , Mitchell A , Pitts M , Smith A. 3rd National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health 2002. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe University; 2003.

[5] Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies Youth Monitor. Youth Studies Aust 2002; 21 10.
[verified April 2009].

[20] Walker J,  Green J,  Tilford S. An evaluation of school sex education team training. Health Educ 2003; 103 320–9.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[21] Carmody M , Willis K . Developing ethical sexual lives: young people, sex, and sexual assault prevention. Sydney: NSW Rape Crisis Centre, SJSC Research Centre, University of Western Sydney; 2006.

[22] Langille D,  Mackinnon D,  Marshall E,  Graham J. So many bricks in the wall: young women in Nova Scotia speak about barriers to school-based sexual health education. Sex Educ 2001; 1 245–57.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[23] Kang M,  Quine S. Young people’s concerns about sex: unsolicited questions to a teenage radio talkback programme over three years. Sex Educ 2007; 7 407–20.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[24] McCall D , Beazley R , Doherty-Poirier M , Lovato C , Mackinnon D , Otis J, , et al. Schools, Public Health, Sexuality and HIV: A Status Report. Toronto: Council of Ministers of Education; 1999.

[25] Milton J. Primary school sex education programs: views and experiences of teachers in four primary schools in Sydney, Australia. Sex Educ 2003; 3 241–56.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[26] Family Planning Victoria. Comprehensive Sexuality Education. e_Update. 2006; 2(2).

[27] Byers ES,  Sears HA,  Voyer SD,  Thurlow J,  Cohen JN,  Weaver AD. An adolescent perspective on sexual health education at school and at home: I. High school students. Can J Hum Sex 2003; 12 1–17.


[28] McKay A,  Holowaty P. Sexual health education: a study of adolescents’ opinions, self-perceived needs, and current and preferred sources of information. Can J Hum Sex 1997; 29 29–38.


[29] Walker J,  Milton J. Teachers’ and parents’ roles in the sexuality education of primary school children: a comparison of experiences in Leeds, UK and in Sydney, Australia. Sex Educ 2006; 6 415–28.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[30] Weaver A,  Byers ES,  Sears H,  Cohen J,  Randall H. Sexual health education at school and at home: Attitudes and experiences of New Brunswick parents. Can J Hum Sex 2002; 11 19–31.


[31] Pick S,  Palos P. Impact of the family on the sex lives of adolescents. Adolescence 1995; 30 667–75.
|  CAS | PubMed |

[32] Berne L,  Huberman B. Lessons learned: European approaches to adolescent sexual behavior and responsibility. J Sex Educ Ther 2000; 25 189–99.


[33] Weaver A , Byers ES , Sears H , Cohen J , Randall H . New Brunswick Parents’ Ideas About Sexual Health Education. Fredericton: New Brunswick Department of Education; 2001.

[34] Walsh A,  Parker E,  Cushing A. “How am I gonna answer this one?”: A discourse analysis of fathers’ accounts of providing sexuality education for young sons. Can J Hum Sex 1999; 8 103–14.


[35] Walker J. A qualitative study of parents’ experiences of providing sex education for their children: The implications for health education. Health Educ J 2001; 60 132–46.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[36] Cohen J , Byers ES , Sears H , Weaver A . New Brunswick Teachers’ Ideas about Sexual Health Education. Fredericton: University of New Brunswick; 2001.

[37] Kirkman M,  Rosenthal DA,  Feldman SS. Being open with your mouth shut: the meaning of ‘openness’ in family communication about sexuality. Sex Educ 2005; 5 49–66.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

[38] Milton J,  Berne L. Sexual health messages for adolescents: What are Australian parents, teachers and school counsellors saying? ACHPER Healthy Lifestyles J 2003; 50 12–5.


[39] Berne L,  Patton W,  Milton J,  Hunt L,  Wright S,  Peppard J,, et al. A qualitative assessment of Australian parents’ perceptions of sexuality education and communication. J Sex Educ Ther 2000; 25 161–8.


[40] Milton J. Sexuality education and primary schools: Experiences and practices of mothers and teachers in four Sydney schools. ACHPER Healthy Lifestyles Journal 2004; 51 18–25.


[41] Rosenthal DA,  Feldman SS,  Edwards D. Mum’s the word: mothers’ perspectives on communication about sexuality with adolescents. J Adolesc 1998; 21 727–43.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[42] Feldman S , Rosenthal DA (eds). Talking Sexuality: Parent-Adolescent Communication. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2002.

[43] Kerlinger FN . Foundations of Behavioral Research, 3rd edn. Tokyo: CBS Publishing Limited; 1986.

[44] Biernacki P,  Waldorf D. Snowball sampling: Problems, techniques and chain referral sampling. Sociol Methods Res 1981; 10 141–63.


[45] Rosenthal DA,  Feldman SS. The importance of importance: adolescents’ perceptions of parental communication about sexuality. J Adolesc 1999; 22 835–51.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | PubMed |

[46] Rosenthal DA,  Smith A. Adolescents, sexually transmissible diseases, and health promotion: Information sources, preferences, and trust. Health Promot J Austr 1995; 5 38–44.


[47] Rissel CE,  Richters J,  Grulich AE,  De Visser RO,  Smith AMA. Sex in Australia: attitudes towards sex in a representative sample of adults. Aust N Z J Public Health 2003; 27 118–23.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |