Original article
Receipt of Sexual Health Information From Parents, Teachers, and Healthcare Providers by Sexually Experienced U.S. Adolescents

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.03.017Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To describe the extent to which sexually experienced adolescents in the United States receive sexual health information (SHI) from multiple of three sources: parents, teachers, and healthcare providers.

Design

Descriptive analysis.

Setting

2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth.

Participants

Heterosexually experienced, unmarried/non-cohabiting females (n = 875) and males (n = 1,026) ages 15–19 years.

Main Outcome Measures

Self-reported receipt of birth control, sexually transmitted infection/human immunodeficiency virus (STI/HIV), and condom information from parents, teachers, and healthcare providers.

Results

Parent and teacher SHI sources were reported by 55% and 43% of sexually experienced female and male adolescents, respectively, for birth control information; and by 59% and 66%, respectively, for STI/HIV information. For sexually experienced adolescents reporting both parent and teacher sources, about one-third also reported healthcare provider as a source of birth control information, and one-quarter of females and one-third of males reported a healthcare provider as a source of STI/HIV information, respectively. For sexually experienced adolescents reporting no SHI from either parent or teacher sources, only one in ten reported healthcare providers as a source of birth control information, with a similar proportion reporting healthcare providers as a source of STI/HIV information. SHI receipt was found to vary by gender with more females than males reporting birth control information receipt from parents and teachers, and about one in six males reporting no birth control or condom information receipt from either source.

Conclusions

Study findings highlight gaps in sexual health information receipt from parents, teachers, and healthcare providers among sexually experienced adolescents, as well as gender differences across information sources.

Section snippets

Study procedures

Data for these analyses come from the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), a nationally representative household survey that assesses reproductive health and contraception practices among 22,682 respondents aged 15 to 44 years. Among respondents, 2,284 females and 2,378 males were between the ages of 15 and 19. All respondents completed a face-to-face interview with NSFG personnel and an audio computer assisted self- interview to gather more sensitive data. The survey used a

Parent source

Respondents provided a dichotomous response to whether they had received information prior to age 18 from a parent regarding: (1) birth control methods and information about where to obtain birth control; (2) information on STI and/or how to prevent HIV; and (3) how to use a condom.

Teacher source

Respondents provided a dichotomous response to whether they had received information prior to age 18 at a school, church, community center, or some other place regarding (1) birth control methods; and (2) STI and/or

Results

The sample of sexually experienced adolescents was equally split between 15–17-year-olds and 18–19-year-olds (Table 1). The majority of the sample reported not having lived with both parents from birth to age 18 years and reported white race. About half the sample reported maternal completion of some college education or higher. Most resided in a suburban region.

References (40)

Cited by (62)

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text