The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
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Sex education is intended to provide youth with the information and skills needed to make healthy and informed decisions about sex. This study examined whether exposure to formal sex education is associated with three sexual behaviors: ever had sexual intercourse, age at first episode of sexual intercourse, and use of birth control at first intercourse. ⋯ Formal sex education may effectively reduce adolescent sexual risk behaviors when provided before sexual initiation. Sex education was found to be particularly important for subgroups that are traditionally at high risk for early initiation of sex and for contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
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The aim of this study was to assess change in the number of adolescent females prescribed hormonal contraception in primary care following the publication in the United Kingdom of the Social Exclusion Unit report on Teenage Pregnancy. ⋯ Since the publication in the United Kingdom of the Social Exclusion Unit Report on Teenage Pregnancy, there has been a significant increase in the number of female adolescents aged > or =12 years prescribed hormonal contraception by their primary care physicians. However the number of individuals prescribed hormonal contraception still remains relatively low in comparison to the reported levels of sexual activity among adolescents in the United Kingdom.