ArticleBMJ open2016
What do young people think about their school-based sex and relationship education? A qualitative synthesis of young people's views and experiences.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 263 citations in OpenAlex.
- What Young People Who Have Experienced Maltreatment Want From Out-of-School Sex and Relationship Education: A Qualitative Synthesis of Participatory Research With Young People.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2026Pooled it
- Crush: A Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Impact of a Mobile Health App on Adolescent Sexual Health.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2023Trial
- Effects of gender-transformative relationships and sexuality education to reduce adolescent pregnancy (the JACK trial): a cluster-randomised trial.The Lancet. Public health · 2022Trial
- Can Teenage Men Be Targeted to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy? A Feasibility Cluster Randomised Controlled Intervention Trial in Schools.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2018Trial
- Building multi-sectoral alliances to co-design and pilot a gender-transformative comprehensive sexuality education intervention for adolescents: the case of Si Yo Fuera Juan in Uruguay.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Comparing In-Person and Online Sexual Health Education Program Delivery: Youth Perspectives and Short-Term Outcomes.Health promotion practice · 2026Article
- Sexual health literacy and sexual and reproductive health service seeking among young people in Türkiye: levels and determining factors.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Art as a generative mediating space: a configurable framework for adolescent affective-sexual learning.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Portrait and factors associated with non-teaching school staff intention to deliver a comprehensive sexuality education program: an exploratory study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Determination of contraceptive knowledge, attitude, and behavior among nursing students in Northern Cyprus: a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Adolescents' and young people's perspectives on school-based sexuality education in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Engaging Parents in Sexually Explicit Media Literacy Education: Expert Perspectives From Australia and New Zealand.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025Article
- Assessing the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy of a Multiple Behavior Change Intervention Addressing Alcohol Use, Sexual Risk-Taking, and Bystander Intervention.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2025Article
- Enhancing young people's pregnancy loss and fertility awareness and knowledge via schools: a way forward.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Young People's Trust in Digital Sexual Healthcare: A Narrative Review.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2025Article
- Do school students study enough about the reproductive system? Data from Jordan.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Insights from a Qualitative Exploration of Adolescents' Opinions on Sex Education.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Sexual well-being among young people in remote rural island communities in Scotland: a mixed methods study.BMJ sexual & reproductive health · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesAlthough sex and relationship education (SRE) represents a key strand in policies to safeguard young people and improve their sexual health, it currently lacks statutory status, government guidance is outdated and a third of UK schools has poor-quality SRE. We aimed to investigate whether current provision meets young people's needs.
designSynthesis of qualitative studies of young people's views of their school-based SRE.
settingEligible studies originated from the UK, Ireland, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Iran, Brazil and Sweden.
participantsStudies of students aged 4-19 in full-time education, young adults ≤19 (not necessarily in full-time education) or adults ≤25 if recalling their experiences of school-based SRE.
results-69 publications were identified, with 55 remaining after quality appraisal (representing 48 studies). The synthesis found that although sex is a potent and potentially embarrassing topic, schools appear reluctant to acknowledge this and attempt to teach SRE in the same way as other subjects. Young people report feeling vulnerable in SRE, with young men anxious to conceal sexual ignorance and young women risking sexual harassment if they participate. Schools appear to have difficulty accepting that some young people are sexually active, leading to SRE that is out of touch with many young people's lives. Young people report that SRE can be negative, gendered and heterosexist. They expressed dislike of their own teachers delivering SRE due to blurred boundaries, lack of anonymity, embarrassment and poor training.
conclusionsSRE should be 'sex-positive' and delivered by experts who maintain clear boundaries with students. Schools should acknowledge that sex is a special subject with unique challenges, as well as the fact and range of young people's sexual activity, otherwise young people will continue to disengage from SRE and opportunities for safeguarding and improving their sexual health will be reduced.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.