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 In the U.S., according to the AAP, about one in three adolescents
does not receive any information on sexuality from pediatricians.
And when the subject does come up between doctors and kids, the
average conversation lasts less than 40 seconds, the group says in a
new report.
"Which means two-thirds of the time it’s not discussed at all, and
when it is discussed it's such a brief time," said Dr. Cora Breuner,
chairperson of the AAP's Committee on Adolescence.
Children and adolescents should have an open discussion with their
parents, pediatricians or healthcare providers and in their schools
as well, she said.
"If we don’t bring it up in a calm and open environment, they are
going to turn elsewhere," said Breuner, who is also a pediatrician
at Seattle Children’s.
The AAP's report - its first on the topic since 2001 - was published
in Pediatrics. It defines sexuality education as "teaching about
human sexuality, including intimate relationships, human sexual
anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexually transmitted infections,
sexual activity, sexual orientation, gender identity, abstinence,
contraception and reproductive rights and responsibilities."
The report says sexuality education has been shown to prevent and
reduce the risks of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections.
Pediatricians are in an excellent position to provide and support
sexuality education as part of preventive healthcare, the report
says.
Additionally, it says, formal sexuality education in schools can
improve the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults.
Parents and caregivers are their children's primary sexuality
educators, says the report. But lack of knowledge, skills or comfort
may impede parents or caregivers from fulfilling that role.
Breuner suggested people remember the acronym A-B-L-E when talking
to young people about sexuality.
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She said the letter A should remind people to ask kids if they have
questions, assume they have questions and at all ages. The letter B
is a reminder to be respectful and calm, and be aware of their own
issues and agendas. The letter L is to listen, let the youth guide
the conversation and learn from others if you need help. The letter
E is to educate using methods backed by research and to encourage
more questions.
"You need to be a resource for them, as well as your pediatrician
and school," said Breuner.
The report also says that while abstinence is 100 percent effective,
promoting abstinence-only until heterosexual marriage occurs is
ineffective.
"Not only do kids have sex when you have an abstinence-only
curriculum, they get pregnant more than those who have a
comprehensive sexual education," said Breuner.
She said youngsters who get abstinence-only education tend to get
more sexually transmitted infections, too.
For schools and the community, Breuner recommends a document from
the Future of Sexuality Education (http://bit.ly/29IYOuP). For
youth, she recommends the website Scarleteen (http://www.scarleteen.com/).
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/29IZlNx Pediatrics, online July 18, 2016.
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