Parents, teachers, but also pediatricians must help children understand sexuality. “How do you have sex? How do the sexual organs work? What are the different methods of contraception?” These are all questions that pediatricians should be able to discuss with children in their practice. American Academy of Pediatrics report suggests practitioners should help parents educate their children about sexuality and explain to them the best way to approach these subjects with them.
Early education to prevent risky sexual behavior
The intervention of pediatricians must be done in addition to that of parents and awareness raising at school, points out the document. These recommendations are based on the observation that early information of the younger generations on sexuality is an effective means of reducing the risk of unwanted pregnancyin adolescence and the risk of sexually transmitted diseases as a result of unprotected intercourse.
Dr Cora Collette Breuner, professor of pediatrics and researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine in the United States, considers insufficient the information currently provided by pediatricians to children they see in consultation. She regrets that when topics on sexuality are discussed, they barely last 40 seconds.
This study, to be published on July 18 in the journal Pediatrics, suggests that this sexuality education can be carried out with young children. “Children and adolescents should be encouraged to ask questions or share their concerns about their body or their sexuality,” said the specialist cited by Livescience. Sex education should thus be approached in a “precise and personalized” way, and encompass subjects as vast as body image, relationships, the use of social networks and the relationship to sexuality or even sexual development.
This recommendation in favor of better sexuality education responds to a real need. The United States has the highest rate of unwanted teenage pregnancies among industrialized countries.
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