Sex education 'fails to cut pregnancies'

Two separate studies published in a leading medical journal have shown sex education does not reduce the number of teenage pregnancies or increase contraceptive use.

Canadian research found programmes failed to delay intercourse, improve birth control use or cut the number of pregnancies.

And a Scottish study of school-based sex education found that while it improved the quality of young people's relationships and their sexual health knowledge, it had no effect on their use of contraceptives.

But the Family Planning Association said the studies showed sex education was only one factor in reducing teenage pregnancies and successful initiatives took a much broader approach.

The Canadian study reviewed 31 trials of teenagers aged 11 to 18 which evaluated sex education classes, abstinence programmes, family planning clinics and community programmes.

In five of the trials examined - four abstinence programmes and one school-based sex education programme - an increase in pregnancies among the partners of young men involved was observed.

The authors, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontaria, Canada, say the review shows there is not yet a clear solution for reducing pregnancy rates.

Writing in the BMJ, they suggest sex education may need to begin when children are as young as five.

They add that the social reasons for teenage pregnancy need to be further investigated, adolescents need to be involved in designing sex education programmes and countries such as the Netherlands, which have low rates, should be studied.

Improved knowledge

The Scottish study compared the specially designed sex education programme called SHARE, aimed at 13 to 15 year-olds, with conventional sex education.

It involved 25 secondary schools and 5,854 pupils who were questioned before and after the scheme.

Teenagers preferred the SHARE scheme. Those who were on the programme had fewer regrets about first intercourse with their most recent partner and said their sexual health knowledge had improved.

But there was no difference between the SHARE group and those receiving conventional sex education in terms of sexual activity or contraception use by age 16.

"It would be dangerous to conclude that sex education is useless"

Dr Daniel Wight
Glasgow University

Dr Daniel Wight of the Medical Research Council's Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at Glasgow University, who led the research, said: "One of the things that surprised us most about the study was that the majority of those who were having sex were using contraception and condoms responsibly.