UW Sex Education Study Lacks Validity
Discounts research affirming success of abstinence education
Washington, DC (March 21, 2008) — The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) questions the findings of the University of Washington study claiming that students who receive abstinence education are at a greater risk for becoming teen parents. The results, set to be published in the April 2008 edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health, lack validity because the abstinence and contraceptive-based approaches are not accurately or clearly defined in the data.
"This study is suspect because it only addresses teen pregnancy, dismissing rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or the emotional risks of casual sex, and there is no accurate comparison of data between abstinence and contraception-based curriculums. The research is simply data-mining, and both curriculums are greatly misrepresented," said Valerie Huber, Executive Director, NAEA. "Teens are at risk for pregnancy, STDs and emotional consequences when they add sex to their relationships, so it is important that we look at the growing body of research showing abstinence education as the only curriculum to successfully address all three important topics."
The January 2008 edition of the American Journal of Health Behavior published a study showing students who receive abstinence education are 50-percent less likely to initiate sex. A 2004 Journal of Adolescent Health article concluded abstinence education has substantially contributed to the decrease in teen pregnancy.
"Our youth deserve medically-accurate information on contraception and STDs, including HIV/AIDS, and such information is provided in abstinence education classes. Students are also provided relationship building skills and a foundation on which to set future life goals, as well as drug and alcohol prevention," says Huber. "Abstinence education is so much more than a Just Say No approach. It is time that society puts public health in front of ideological agendas and recognizes that abstinence education is the best health message for America's youth."
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About NAEA:
NAEA serves and supports abstinence education providers in 43 states who work with more than 1.5 million students.
For more information: http://abstinenceassociation.org/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patra Stephan, Communications Director,
202.248.5420/
202-246-3822