SEX - less valued by teens than a good relationship

Be it tragic tales of teen parents, alarms about early sexualisation, or ‘sexting’ scares, we are constantly reminded of teenagers’ hazardous preoccupation with sex.  But could adults be overestimating the importance young teenagers’ attach to sex in their relationships?

A recent study by the Health Behaviour Group commissioned by Tower Hamlets Public Health NHS East London and the City suggests that the majority of young people do not consider sex to be the highest priority in their relationships.

To assess the effectiveness of a peer-led sex education programme, around eight hundred young people aged between 14 and 16 completed a simple questionnaire. While younger respondents were more likely to agree with the statement; “I would rather keep a good relationship going than risk spoiling it by pushing for sex”, nevertheless, overall between 70% of boys and 80% of girls agreed.  In a similar, unpublished, Exeter University study thirteen hundred 15 year olds were asked to consider the statement; ‘For most teenagers, having sex is more important than keeping a good relationships going’ - 85% of girls and 80% of boys disagreed.

The Tower Hamlets survey also asked if, “Saying ‘No’ to sex, or ‘postpone it’ is useful advice for someone of my age.”  Between 60% and 65% of fifteen year olds agreed.

David Evans, Chief Executive of Health Behaviour Group comments: “We offer a sex and relationships education programme – Apause – that results in healthier beliefs and behaviours.  In our evaluations the lesson that students most frequently remember is the peer-led session in which they are taught techniques to say ‘No’ to unwanted pressure to become sexually involved.”

A survey carried out by the UK Youth Parliament, (UKYP) found that most young people expressed their desire for the opportunity to learn about the emotional aspects of intimacy and the skills to manage personal relationship facets of SRE often omitted from school’s curricula.

 Health Behaviour Group is a charity with a mission to improve public health. Its Apause SRE project is a unique set of resources and training methods used by teachers and students in many academies and schools across the UK.