Sexual health education- is it still a taboo? A survey from an urban school in Puducherry

Background: Children need facts about sexuality and reproductive health in order to protect themselves and others. They need positive reinforcement, positive self-esteem and the confidence to make responsible decisions. This survey was conducted in an urban school in Puducherry to assess the parent’s attitude towards sexual health education for adolescents. Methods: The questionnaire was distributed when the parents came for open school day and was returned by the parents after one week to their children’s class teacher. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. The first section elicited respondents biographical information i.e. age, level of education and religion. The second section compromised questions on the attitude about sexual health education in schools. The data was analyzed using epi info version 3.5 and results expressed in percentage. Results: The mean age of the mother participated the study is 40years. The mean age of the father is 47 years. In our study 94.5% of parents wanted sexual health education (SHE) to be started in school, 4.5% from college and 1% don’t want SHE. Parents who opted for SHE from school, 58.9% wanted to start from high school, 27.2% from higher secondary school and 8.5% from primary school. SHE should be taught by health professionals were opined by 38.1%, by parents 8.5%, by teachers 24.4% and by all 8.8%. While 41.5% were willing for all the topics to be taught, 19.9% opined for emotional changes and only5.6% for sexual abuse. Conclusion: A sensitization program for parents about sexual health education may improve their attitude. [Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol 2014; 3(1.000): 158-161]