Sponsor
Theresa Schroeder Hageman, PhD
Ohio Northern University
Political Sciences, Social Sciences & Human Interaction
t-hageman@onu.edu
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
23-4-2021 9:00 AM
Abstract
Sex education is an essential part of the middle or high school experience. Whether private or public schools, there are significant differences on the curriculum and the education outcomes. While some schools focus primarily on abstinence-only education, others focus on comprehensive sex education. Abstinence-only curriculum requires educators to stress the idea that abstaining from sexual activity until marriage is the best form of contraceptives. Comprehensive sex education requires educators to provide information on medically accurate information on reproductive health, biology and sexuality. This research seeks to answer the question: does abstinence-only education influence STD/I and teen pregnancy rates? To answer this, I compared two states that require the different sex education curriculums: Ohio (abstinence-only curriculum) and Colorado (comprehensive sex education) and the state’s health department reports on STD/I cases and rates as well as teen pregnancy rates. I found that Ohio has a significantly higher rate of STD/I than Colorado. Ohio also leads in higher rates of teen pregnancy than Colorado. Ohio does have a higher population than Colorado, but lack of proper education is negatively impacting the youth of Ohioans. I suggest that Ohio legislators reform their current standards for sex education curriculum to become more medically accurate like Colorado’s standards.
Recommended Citation
Guyton, Mara L., "Research on Abstinence-Only Policies leading to higher rates of STD/I and Teen Pregnancies" (2021). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 21.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2021/posters/21
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Research on Abstinence-Only Policies leading to higher rates of STD/I and Teen Pregnancies
Sex education is an essential part of the middle or high school experience. Whether private or public schools, there are significant differences on the curriculum and the education outcomes. While some schools focus primarily on abstinence-only education, others focus on comprehensive sex education. Abstinence-only curriculum requires educators to stress the idea that abstaining from sexual activity until marriage is the best form of contraceptives. Comprehensive sex education requires educators to provide information on medically accurate information on reproductive health, biology and sexuality. This research seeks to answer the question: does abstinence-only education influence STD/I and teen pregnancy rates? To answer this, I compared two states that require the different sex education curriculums: Ohio (abstinence-only curriculum) and Colorado (comprehensive sex education) and the state’s health department reports on STD/I cases and rates as well as teen pregnancy rates. I found that Ohio has a significantly higher rate of STD/I than Colorado. Ohio also leads in higher rates of teen pregnancy than Colorado. Ohio does have a higher population than Colorado, but lack of proper education is negatively impacting the youth of Ohioans. I suggest that Ohio legislators reform their current standards for sex education curriculum to become more medically accurate like Colorado’s standards.