Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy.
Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
J Sex Med. 2024 Sep 28;21(10):872-877. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdae094.
To date, there is a lack of a structured national plan of sexual education in Italy, with large interregional differences and poor uniformity in the promotion and learning of sexual health.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge on sexuality and reproductive function among adolescents before and after a sexual education program, considering gender differences in the results.
A longitudinal and interventional study was conducted on high school students. Six sessions for each class were carried out by a multidisciplinary team. Anonymous questionnaires were administered to investigate basic knowledge of human sexuality and reproduction before and after intervention.
Participants were high school students who completed the questionnaires. Outcomes included pre and posttest answers on the knowledge questionnaire in study population.
We obtained data from 842 high school students (mean ± SD age, 16.11 ± 1.74 years). The main informative sources on sexuality were social media in 37.9% of participants; family, school, and scientific material were the main source in 15.1%, 5.2%, and 4.4%, respectively. A total score of 12.6 ± 3.4 (range, 1-20) was obtained on the knowledge questionnaire; specifically, the score was higher in females than males (12.8 ± 3.4 vs 11.9 ± 3.4, P = .0001). In males and females, a statistically significant increase in level of knowledge was found after the multidisciplinary intervention (14.5 ± 3.6, P = .0001).
The lack of sexual education programs in schools in Italy compels adolescents to refer to frequently unreliable sources, such as social media and peers, contributing to misinformation and adoption of risky sexual behaviors.
This study is based on a large sample size and highlights the importance of sexual education programs. The main limitations are a greater representation of the female population and the inclusive nature of the school (ie, an artistic school), attracting students who identify with sexual minorities.
Adolescents have limited knowledge about sexuality and reproduction, with a notable gender disparity; sexual education programs in schools, providing information from sexuality experts, led to a substantial increase in knowledge and a reduction in the gender gap.
迄今为止，意大利缺乏结构化的全国性性教育计划，区域间差异较大，性健康的推广和学习也不够统一。
本研究旨在评估性教育计划前后青少年的性知识和生殖功能水平，同时考虑到结果中的性别差异。
对高中生进行了一项纵向和干预性研究。由一个多学科团队为每个班级开展了六次课程。干预前后，通过匿名问卷调查了基本的人类性知识和生殖知识。
我们从 842 名高中生那里获得了数据（平均年龄±标准差为 16.11±1.74 岁）。37.9%的参与者主要通过社交媒体获取性知识；15.1%的参与者主要从家庭、学校和科学材料中获取性知识，而 5.2%和 4.4%的参与者则主要从这些来源获取性知识。在知识问卷中获得了 12.6±3.4 的总分（范围为 1-20）；具体而言，女性的得分高于男性（12.8±3.4 比 11.9±3.4，P=0.0001）。在男性和女性中，多学科干预后知识水平均有统计学显著提高（14.5±3.6，P=0.0001）。
意大利学校缺乏性教育项目，迫使青少年经常参考不可靠的来源，如社交媒体和同龄人，这导致了信息错误和危险性行为的采用。
本研究基于较大的样本量，强调了性教育项目的重要性。主要的局限性在于女性人口的代表性更大，以及学校的包容性（即艺术学校），吸引了认同性少数群体的学生。
青少年对性和生殖的了解有限，且存在明显的性别差异；学校开展的性教育项目，由性知识专家提供信息，可显著提高知识水平，并缩小性别差距。
