Sex education in secondary schools: an Italian experience.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the impact on Italian teenagers' knowledge and attitudes of an experimental program in sex education.

METHODS

The program consisted of five workshops in five public secondary schools in Rome. The impact of the program was evaluated with three questionnaires designed for this study. A pretest evaluated baseline knowledge, a posttest measured the gain in knowledge, and a third questionnaire estimated retention of information 4-6 months later. Three hundred seventy-six students attending secondary school participated in the program. Thirteen questions were selected for the analysis, and improvement was measured by the difference between pretest and posttest scores.

RESULTS

Ninety-six percent of the sample was in favor of sex education programs in schools. The students had an average 50% gain in the percentage of correct answers following the course. The mean score based on the number of correct answers to questions showed a baseline value of 5.00, a posttest value of 11.80, and a test value 4-6 months later of 10.7. Results showed students' positive attitude toward school sex education courses, low baseline knowledge, and a good ability to learn.

CONCLUSIONS

In Italy there is a need for collaboration between schools and local health services to promote knowledge and prevention in reproductive health among teenagers.