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| NCAAHE Position on Sexuality Education Curricula |
Revised 2002*
The Problem: In the United States, 42.9% of the girls and 48.5% of boys in grades 9-12 report having engaged in sexual intercourse. Over the course of high school the percentage increases from 34.4% of 9th graders to 60.5% of 12th graders having engaged in sexual intercourse. Among those sexually active youth, 21.6% of the high school seniors report having had four or more sexual partners (1). These numbers only reflect the behavior of in-school youth. When students in Alternative Schools were surveyed in a 1998 YRBS, 87.8% reported having engaged in sexual intercourse and 50.4% had four or more sexual partners (2).
Multiple North Carolina surveys show that students begin sexual activity earlier than the national average (3, 4) resulting in higher rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections with both white and minority students (5). In addition, there has been a decrease in the average age of the onset of puberty (6) and an increase in the average age of first marriage (7), creating a 12 + year window of vulnerability for teenagers. Teenagers need knowledge and supporting skills to protect and manage their sexual health and to develop healthy personal relationships. |
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Position Statement
The North Carolina Association for the Advancement of Health Education (NCAAHE) believes that the majority of teens can be encouraged to delay sexual intercourse and other risk taking behaviors. Our youth can learn and use skills to help them become responsible in their sexual behavior and develop healthy relationships. Consequently, the NCAAHE supports developmentally and age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, including choosing to practice abstinence, effective pregnancy prevention methods, prevention of sexually transmitted infections including HIV and utilizing appropriate resources for making decisions related to sexual health. |
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NCAAHE supports the adoption of those prevention curricula which: |
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Meet the developmental needs of students as they move into adolescence and young adulthood. |
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Are effective in delaying sexual activity in adolescents and in reducing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections including HIV. |
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Include sufficient and accurate information, particularly about sexual development, sexual decisions about abstinence, contraceptive methods, pregnancy, STI's and HIV prevention. |
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Provide skills for accessing and utilizing resources for teens that are already sexually active, or who are the victims of incest, rape, date rape and other forms of sexual exploitation. |
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Use interactive, student-centered activities shown to be effective in skill building and establishing appropriate sexual norms. |
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The North Carolina Association for the Advancement of Health Education is a professional organization that promotes quality Health Education in an effort to increase the health and well being of North Carolina citizens. NCAAHE supports schools by providing advocacy, curriculum and resource development, teacher in-service training and professional development.
* The position statement was slightly revised for display on the Web. Superscript was removed or exchanged for parenthesis. |
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Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2001. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2001. MMWR; June21, 2002;51(SS04);1-64. |
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Trends in Sexual Risk Behaviors of High School Students - United States, 1991-2001. MMWR; September 26, 2002;51 (38);856-859. |
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Alternative High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1998
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/previous_results/alt1998facts.htm |
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Youth Risk Behavior Survey 1991,1993,1995,1997. www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/previous_results |
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Developmental Assets: A Profile of Your Youth (Data collected in 11 NC counties) by Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN. Survey - Search institute Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors, copyright © 1996, Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN. |
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North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS |
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Herman-Giddens, ME, Slora, EJ, Wasserman, RC, et al., Secondary Sexual Characteristics and Menses in Young Girls Seen in Office Practice: A Study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings Network, Pediatrics, 1997; 99: 505-5125. |
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National Center for Health Statistics, www.cdc.gov/nchs |
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