| From: |
"Gabriel, ADEYEMO" [ profile ] |
| Subject: |
Sex education efforts lagging in schools, CDC says
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| Sent: |
Apr 16th, 2012 - 04:29:46 |
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SOURCE:* HealthDay News*
AUTHOR: Robert Preidt
http://news.yahoo.com/sex-education-efforts-lagging-schools-cdc-says-180307732.html
Hey guyz!!! How was your weekend?
CDC said on Thursday that efforts to teach more secondary school students
about HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention have stalled in recent years. A new
report details the findings from 2008 and 2010 data from 45 states that
participate in biennial school health surveys.
CDC researchers assessed the percentage of schools that teach topics
related to HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention, which may differ by grade
level but typically include basic information about disease transmission
and diagnosis and pregnancy risk reduction. Condom use is a topic only
covered in high schools, CDC said. The proportion of middle schools that
taught all essential topics to grades 6-8 declined in 11 states and did not
increase in the other 33 states.
The percentage of high schools that taught all topics to grades 9-12
declined in one state and increased in two. The proportion of high schools
that taught three condom-related topics dropped in eight states and
increased in three. An editorial accompanying the report noted that HIV and
other STD education is essential -- particularly for middle schoolers, who
most likely have not yet become sexually active. "Families, the media and
community organizations, including faith-based organizations, can play a
role in providing HIV, other STD, and pregnancy prevention education," the
editorial noted.
"However, schools are in a unique position to provide ... because almost
all school-aged youths in the United States attend school."
Comments: I think this issue differs per country. In Nigeria, the case is
slightly different. though peer educators are not permitted to talk about
condoms to secondary school students as the health constitution of the
country does not allow/permit it, but there is a very wide knowledge
dissemination on sexual and reproductive health to these young people. It
gets better when you engage them outside their school premises. In this
case, you can speak about the use of condoms as a reproductive health
commodity and prevention tools from unwanted pregnancies, not forcing them
to use it but as a last resort to protect themselves.
The global HIV and AIDS strategy is at a turning point. We have witnessed
dramatic scientific advances in the fight against the pandemic, spurring
renewed hope that the end of AIDS is in sight. Read more of these on
PEPFAR, Youths, and the AIDS Epidemic: A call for Real Leadership on
Prevention
http://ht.ly/a2QZ1
--
Many Thanks
Yours' in Prevention Science
Gabriel, ADEYEMO
Regional Focal Point - West Africa
Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AID (GYCA), a program of the Public Health
Institute
+234-80-6798-7317 | gabriel (at) gyca.org
www.gyca.org | www.phi.org
GYCA is a youth-led global network of over 6,500 young leaders and adult
allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 173 countries world-wide. GYCA's
mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources
and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst
their peers.
*My United Nations Pledge 2011-2012: "To lend my wit and my strength to the
AIDS Response guiding global youth towards one goal: Zero HIV: Zero AIDS
Related Deaths, Zero New Infections, Zero Stigma"*
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