Sexual behavior plays an important role in modern life. Nowadays, youths speak about sex without borders. The increased level of youths pregnancy, raised level of sexually transmitted diseases and other problems are put at the first place.
Speaking about sexual behavior among youths, it is possible to correct it and form by means of sexual education. It is essential to deal with professionals while delivering information to youths. Moreover, sexual education is very important both for boys and girls before they have their first sexual experience. Speaking about sexual education and its affect on sexual behavior, it is essential to refer to the studies of Douglas Kirby.
Having written numerous papers devoted to sexual education and its effect on youths, he managed to find something new and add to each of his research. Having developed a hypothesis that sexual behavior depends on education, Douglas Kirby managed to prove that the earlier students receive information about sexual behavior the lower the level of pregnancy among them and the less sexually transmitted diseases are noticed.
Reporting about “The impact of sex education on the sexual behavior of young people”, Douglas Kirby states that sex educational programs affect adolescents’ sexual behavior greatly. The early sex education programs are started, the earlier students understand how their sexual behavior should be organized.
Douglas Kirby is sure that “Sex education programmes do not increase sexual activity among adolescents and young people but they are not always effective at reducing it or in promoting safer sexual behavior” (Kirby “The impact of sex education on the sexual behavior” 10). Nevertheless, Douglas Kirby notices that if sexual education is regularly conducted with structured information delivery the rate of HIV/AIDS infections reduces.
Moreover, apart from the reduction of the infected, sex education “can delay the onset of sexual activity among adolescents and young people, reduce the frequency of intercourse, reduce the frequency of unprotected sex, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase condom use and contraceptive use” (Kirby “The impact of sex education on the sexual behavior” 10).
Speaking about the level of youths’ pregnancy and the way to reduce its rate, programs are very effective in this case. Starting structured discussion with youths about the ways of protection, the future difficulties and the general unfavorable position of those who fail to protect themselves from pregnancy, it is important to stress on the possibility to have assistance at any stage of sexual relationships.
Sexual education should be conducted among students and their relatives as family treatment of the program is an essential step on the way to correct sexual education. When both boys and girls are aware of the problem of youths pregnancy and the responsibility they are to experience in case of its occurrence, their behavior becomes more valued.
The quarrels about the increased level of sexual activity among adolescents because of sexual education programs do not have any grounds as modern life with the Internet and free access to information has made children aware of all the themes which were forbidden for their parents at their age. Sexual education helps students understand how to protect themselves while sexual behavior (Kirby “Emerging answers” 152).
It is essential to implement sexual behavior programs at school as an obligatory subject. When students are constantly remind about attention and appropriate behavior while sex, when they are explained the level of responsibility and the supportive difficulties they may experience in case of early pregnancy, they become more attentive.
Much research has been conducted in the sphere and Kirby proves that such programs result in “less sexual risk‐taking and lower pregnancy rates” along with “decrease sexual activity and increase condom or contraceptive use” (Kirby “The impact of schools and school programs” 30). Of course, if there is no opportunity to implement sexual education program on the regular basis, the shortcoming programs should be applied. Moreover, students should also understand that from their behavior depends their future.
Setting sex education programs at schools, it is important to speak not only about protection and pregnancy, heath issues should be discussed along with psychological difficulties, and other issues which may be on the way of those who face the problem of early pregnancy and early sexual activity at all. Students are to know that their health depends on their actions and behavior and only knowledge of the problems may prevent them from making mistakes.
Therefore, no matter how sexual education is organized, it affects human behavior. Adolescents should have regular classes devoted to sex behavior in order to be properly brought up. Moreover, family impact has a great affect. When parents and teachers at school have the same vision of sexual behavior and try to give their knowledge to students, double effect is observed.
There are a lot of different pathways to sex, and sexual education should be the starting point for any sexual behavior. Students are to know how they should behave in different situations in order to protect themselves.
Works Cited
Kirby, Douglas. “Emerging answers: Research findings on programs to reduce teen pregnancy.” National campaign to prevent teen pregnancy, May (2001): 1-242. Print.
Kirby, Douglas. “The impact of schools and school programs upon adolescent sexual behavior. Special Issue: Promoting Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior.” Journal of Sex Research 39.1 (2002): 27-33. Print.
Kirby, Douglas. “The impact of sex education on the sexual behavior of young people.” Population Division 12 (2012): 1-25. Print.