U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), CDC/NCHS

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

Target: 59.1 percent

Numerator
Number of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years who report having had formal instruction, before turning age 18 years old, on delaying sex, methods of birth control, how to prevent HIV, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Denominator
Number of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years.
Target-setting method
Minimal statistical significance
Target-setting method details
Minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. The standard error was used to calculate a target based on minimal statistical significance, assuming the same standard error for the target as for the baseline. This method was used because it was a statistically significance improvement from the baseline and the Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts viewed this as an ambitious yet achievable target.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source page linked above.)

From the 2015-2017 National Survey of Family Growth:

Numerator:

SEDNO is a raw variable that measures receipt of formal instructions on how to say no to sex.

Now I'm interested in knowing about formal sex education you may have had.

(Before you were 18, did / Have) you ever (have / had) any formal instruction at school, church, a community center or some other place about how to say no to sex?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Don't know

SEDBC is a raw variable that measures receipt of formal instruction on methods of birth control.

(Before you were 18, did / Have) you ever (have / had) any formal instruction at school, church, a community center or some other place about methods of birth control?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Don't know

SEDHIV is a raw variable that measures receipt of formal instruction on how to prevent HIV.

(Before you were 18, did / Have) you ever (have / had) any formal instruction at school, church, a community center or some other place about how to prevent HIV/AIDS?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Don't know

SEDSTD is a raw variable that measures receipt of formal instruction on sexually transmitted diseases.

(Before you were 18, did / Have) you ever (have / had) any formal instruction at school, church, a community center or some other place about sexually transmitted diseases?
  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Don't know
Denominator:

AGER: Respondent age at interview (Recode): 15-19

Methodology notes

Females are considered to have received formal instructions on birth control methods, HIV/AIDS prevention, and sexually transmitted diseases before turning age 18 years if they responded yes to all three of the numerator questions. Formal instruction is defined as having received formal instruction at school, church, a community center, or some other place. Formal instruction does not include having talked to a parent or guardian.

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from the related Healthy People 2020 objectives in that it is a composite of eight objectives, including objectives FP-12.1 and FP-12.2, which tracked female and male adolescents who received formal instruction on abstinence before they were 18 years old; objective FP-12.3 and FP-12.4 which tracked female and male adolescents who received formal instruction on birth control methods before they were 18 years old; objectives FP-12.5 and FP-12.6, which tracked female and male adolescents who received formal instruction on HIV/AIDS prevention before they were 18 years old; and objective FP-12.7 and FP-12.8, which tracked female and male adolescents who received formal instruction on sexually transmitted diseases before they were 18 years old.