Florida students at risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted

infections

Florida has the 6th highest rate of teen pregnancy and 2nd highest rate of

annual HIV infection

    SARASOTA, Fla., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Barriers to providing
 comprehensive sex education in Florida remain firmly in place throughout
 the state according to two scientific papers presented yesterday at the
 135th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in
 Washington D.C. The results of a state-wide assessment of sex education by
 the University of Florida confirm that it is time for Florida to replace
 ineffective "abstinence-only" curriculums with comprehensive education
 programs that ensure teens have the information necessary to make
 responsible decisions.
     The majority of teachers surveyed by the University of Florida -- 87
 percent -- acknowledged that sex education, in some form, took place in
 their schools. However, they noted it was not accessible to all students,
 was often afforded little time, occurred late in the students' academic
 careers, had little to no uniformity in curriculum and who was teaching it,
 and had no standards for training or quality assurance.
     "Teachers who responded to the survey indicated that students were most
 likely to receive sexuality education in 9th or 10th grade, which is too
 late," said Adrienne Kimmell, Executive Director of the Florida Association
 of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. "What is equally, if not more troubling,
 is that last year, Florida received $10,700,147 in federal funding for
 abstinence-only-until-marriage programs when our young people need
 comprehensive sex education programs that provide medically accurate
 information about abstinence and condoms and other forms of birth control."
     The study provided further evidence that Florida schools need to
 provide comprehensive sex education that is age-appropriate, including the
 facts that help protect them from diseases that threaten their health. In
 Florida, teens are not universally receiving education that leads to
 responsible decision making. Teens need and deserve sex education that
 includes information about abstinence as well as life-saving information
 about other ways to prevent diseases and pregnancy.
     "While we all hope that teens will wait to have sex, half of Florida
 teens have intercourse before they graduate high school," said Kimmell. "We
 need comprehensive sex education so even if a teen chooses not to wait
 they'll still know how to be safe."
     For more information on the research conducted by the University of
 Florida, visit the websites of the APHA annual meeting
 (http://www.apha.org/meetings/) and the Center for Sexual Health Promotion
 (http://www.sexualhealth.indiana.edu).
     The Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates (FAPPA) is the
 state public policy office representing Florida's seven Planned Parenthood
 affiliates with 27 health care centers across the state. Florida affiliates
 provide health care services to more than 100,000 men and women and provide
 educational programs that reach more than a half million Floridians every
 year.
 
 

SOURCE Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates