Sex education among young adults

Abstract

Sex education relates to the dissemination of information regarding human reproductive system, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, childbirth, puberty, menstruation, and menopause. In Albania, sex education began to become part of the education system for the first time in 1995. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the level of education for sexual health among young adults and to ponder upon the effects of current sex education available for them and the possibilities of improvement. Methods: The study included 200 subjects 72.9% female (n=146) and 27.1% males (n=54) with age range from 18 to 23 years old. Results: The main source of information for sex education turns out to be the Internet (53.8%). This form of education has had a considerable effect on the subject’s sexual life, as half of the subjects think this information is enough for them. 67% of the sample (n=134), think that they need more information regarding sex education. Regarding the knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases, it turns out that the subjects are more informed about HIV/AIDS (96%). They were less informed about condyloma acuminata, HPV, chlamydia and syphilis. The most used protective method is the condom (66.5%), followed by emergency pills (11.2%) and oral contraceptives (7.6%). Conclusion: Sex education among young adults in Albania results promising, as this sample of young adults was knowledgeable about STT and protection. Keywords: sex education, sexually transmitted diseases, protective measures.