Between October 18–21, this website will move to a new web address (from health.gov to odphp.health.gov). During that time, some functions might not work as expected. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we’re working to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Increase the proportion of adolescents who get formal sex education before age 18 years — FP‑08

Status: Little or no detectable change

  
Image
Little or no detectable change

Most Recent Data:
54.5 percent (2017-19)

Target:
59.1 percent

Desired Direction:
Increase desired

Baseline:
52.8 percent of adolescents received formal instruction on delaying sex, birth control methods, HIV/AIDS prevention, and sexually transmitted diseases before they were 18 years old, as reported in 2015-17

Increase the proportion of adolescents who receive formal instruction on delaying sex, birth control methods, HIV/AIDS prevention, and sexually transmitted diseases before they were 18 years old

Target-Setting Method
Minimal statistical significance

Summary

Sex education focused on delaying sex, using birth control, and preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is linked to healthier sexual behaviors in adolescents. But fewer adolescents have been getting this type of sex education in recent years. Increasing the use of sex education curriculum-based programs may help increase birth control use, prevent pregnancies, and reduce rates of STIs in this age group.