The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how health and relationship education teachers describe their teaching experiences with students learned cultural narratives and personal experiences while teaching health and relationship education in the public school classroom. The two main research questions were: RQ1: How do…

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by profound social, emotional, and cognitive growth, in addition to self-discovery, particularly concerning sexuality. However, misinformation or inadequate education can lead to detrimental decision-making, impacting both physical and emotional well-being. Inadequate sexual education contributes…

While most parents support their adolescents receiving school-based sex education, there is variability in which sex education topics receive the most support from parents. Conservative political orientation and greater religiosity have been independently associated with parents' lack of support for school-based sex education; however, no studies…

Given the prevalence of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in adolescence and young adulthood, it is critical to understand how content on these topics is integrated into school-based sex education as a potential intervention point. However, little research has evaluated how formal sex education on sexual assault and intimate partner…

This paper describes a human-centered design approach to investigate unmet adolescent sexual health wants and needs among youth of color in low-income and rural communities in Texas, North Carolina, and Connecticut (n = 149). The approach involved gathering qualitative data through in-depth interviews and other human-centered design activities…

There is little knowledge about how sexual minority youth are educated at home about their future sexual selves. To identify the macro level factors that impact these home-based discussions, we interviewed 30 adolescent males who identified as gay, bisexual, or queer. Our findings show that ecological factors sometimes support the inclusion of…

Game-based learning offers an interactive and effective way to teach health content and skills. This article discusses feasibility testing of "Using the Connect" ("UTC"), an innovative, game-based sexuality education program to evaluate its acceptability among youth. Utilizing mixed methods in a single case study design,…

The sexual behaviour of US youth places them at risk of negative outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. The US Centres for Disease Control recommend a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and relationships to improve these outcomes. Yet, sexuality education across the country, especially in the US…

African American youth in the US rural South are at elevated risk for poor sexual health outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy. Historically, the southeastern USA has lagged behind in providing comprehensive sexuality-based education in secondary school, which may contribute to poor reproductive and sexual…

Sex communication interventions facilitate positive sexual health outcomes with heterosexual adolescents. The same has yet to be established for male youth with same-sex attractions, behaviors, and identities. Our study describes the experiences of gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ)-identifying adolescent males with parent-child sex communication. We…

The purpose of the study was to explore, in depth, the impact teen pregnancy has on education attainment for girls 13-19 years of age across racial/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Eight girls from African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino ethnic backgrounds participated in the study. Critical race theoretical framework was utilized for the…

Background: This process study is a companion to a randomized evaluation of a school-based, peer-led comprehensive sexual health education program, Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP), in which 11th- and 12th-grade students are trained by school health educators to conduct informative workshops with ninth-grade peers in schools in North…

Formal sexuality education in schools is declining in the United States and this is disproportionately affecting adolescents in rural settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess student and teacher perception of sexuality education delivered online as a potential solution to address this gap in access. Nine gender-specific group…

Adolescent pregnancy continues to be a major concern for policy-makers, programme developers, helping professionals and society generally in the USA, especially in light of the US federal government's legislative emphasis on abstinence-only sex education until recently. Studies have found that abstinence-only programmes do not succeed in…

Young people have questions about sex and development but may have trouble getting answers to them. Text messaging services can serve as a resource. This study analysed 1351 text messages sent to a sexual health text message service designed for young people in North Carolina to determine the types of questions asked of a confidential, accurate…