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Does sex education affect adolescent sexual behaviors and health?

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  • Joseph J. Sabia

    (University of Georgia, Athens, GA)

Abstract

This study examines whether offering sex education to young teenagers affects several measures of adolescent sexual behavior and health: virginity status, contraceptive use, frequency of intercourse, likelihood of pregnancy, and probability of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I find that while sex education is associated with adverse health outcomes, there is little evidence of a causal link after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity via fixed effects and instrumental variables. These findings suggest that those on each side of the ideological debate over sex education are, in a sense, both correct and mistaken. Opponents are correct in observing that sex education is associated with adverse health outcomes, but are generally incorrect in interpreting this relationship causally. Proponents are generally correct in claiming that sex education does not encourage risky sexual activity, but are incorrect in asserting that investments in typical schoolbased sex education programs produce measurable health benefits. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph J. Sabia, 2006. "Does sex education affect adolescent sexual behaviors and health?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(4), pages 783-802.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:25:y:2006:i:4:p:783-802
    DOI: 10.1002/pam.20208
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniel Klepinger & Shelly Lundberg & Robert Plotnick, 1999. "How Does Adolescent Fertility Affect the Human Capital and Wages of Young Women?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 34(3), pages 421-448.
    2. V. Joseph Hotz & Charles H. Mullin & Seth G. Sanders, 1997. "Bounding Causal Effects Using Data from a Contaminated Natural Experiment: Analysing the Effects of Teenage Childbearing," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 64(4), pages 575-603.
    3. Gerald S. Oettinger, 1999. "The Effects of Sex Education on Teen Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(3), pages 606-635, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Joseph J. Sabia, 2006. "Does early adolescent sex cause depressive symptoms?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(4), pages 803-825.
    2. D. Mark Anderson & Mary Beth Walker, 2015. "Does Shortening the School Week Impact Student Performance? Evidence from the Four-Day School Week," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 10(3), pages 314-349, July.
    3. Susan Averett & Sarah Estelle, 2014. "Will daughters walk mom’s talk? The effects of maternal communication about sex on the sexual behavior of female adolescents," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 613-639, December.
    4. Girma, Sourafel & Paton, David, 2015. "Is education the best contraception: The case of teenage pregnancy in England?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 1-9.
    5. Joseph J. Sabia, 2007. "Early Adolescent Sex and Diminished School Attachment: Selection or Spillovers?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(1), pages 239-268, July.
    6. D. Mark Anderson, 2013. "The Impact Of Hiv Education On Behavior Among Youths: A Propensity Score Matching Approach," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 31(3), pages 503-527, July.
    7. Lazuka, Volha & Elwert, Annika, 2023. "Life-Cycle Effects of Comprehensive Sex Education," IZA Discussion Papers 16622, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Darwin Cortés & Carmen Elisa Flórez & Marta Carolina Ibarra & Daniel Martínez & Elvia Vargas Trujillo, 2016. "Educación de la Sexualidad, prácticas docentes y conocimientos de los estudiantes: Una evaluación del Programa de Educación para la Sexualidad y Construcción de Ciudadanía (PESCC)," Documentos de Trabajo 14541, Universidad del Rosario.
    9. Kearney, Melissa S. & Levine, Phillip B., 2015. "Investigating recent trends in the U.S. teen birth rate," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 15-29.
    10. Deza, Monica, 2019. "Graduated driver licensing and teen fertility," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 51-62.
    11. David Paton & Stephen Bullivant & Juan Soto, 2020. "The impact of sex education mandates on teenage pregnancy: International evidence," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(7), pages 790-807, July.
    12. Volha Lazuka & Annika Elwert, 2023. "Life-Cycle Effects of Comprehensive Sex Education," Papers 2310.11151, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2023.
    13. Lillard, Dean R. & Molloy, Eamon & Sfekas, Andrew, 2013. "Smoking initiation and the iron law of demand," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 114-127.
    14. Kocharkov, Georgi & Mellert, Jan & Filote, Andra, 2015. "Teenage Childbearing and the Welfare State," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113116, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    15. Jillian B. Carr & Analisa Packham, 2017. "The Effects of State‐Mandated Abstinence‐Based Sex Education on Teen Health Outcomes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 403-420, April.
    16. Melissa Schettini Kearney & Phillip B. Levine, 2012. "Explaining Recent Trends in the U.S. Teen Birth Rate," NBER Working Papers 17964, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Jennifer Trudeau, 2016. "The role of new media on teen sexual behaviors and fertility outcomes—the case of 16 and Pregnant," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 82(3), pages 975-1003, January.
    18. Joseph Sabia & Daniel Rees, 2009. "The effect of sexual abstinence on females' educational attainment," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(4), pages 695-715, November.

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