Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Nov 29;16(11):e74788.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.74788. eCollection 2024 Nov.

Understanding Comprehensive Sexuality Education: A Worldwide Narrative Review

Affiliations
Review

Understanding Comprehensive Sexuality Education: A Worldwide Narrative Review

Monica Albert Sekhar et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is curriculum-based teaching and learning of various dimensions of sexuality. By equipping young people with accurate information on sexual and reproductive health, CSE promotes healthier populations and fosters a more informed workforce, contributing positively to national economies. Although known to have many benefits, CSE is not universally accepted or implemented. The risks of HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, child abuse, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unsafe abortion, mental health challenges, gender inequality, economic burden, and persisting taboo and stigma can be minimized by providing age-accurate and culturally sensitive CSE. This review delves into the definitions and importance of sexuality and CSE, emphasizing CSE's critical need in today's society to promote informed, healthy decisions and well-being. It explores the optimal age groups for introducing CSE, addressing age-appropriate content designed to equip young people with essential knowledge on body awareness, emotional development, relationships, and sexual health. The review further outlines the key benefits of CSE, such as reducing rates of STIs, unintended pregnancies, and gender-based violence. Finally, it provides a comprehensive overview of CSE's global status, examining diverse regional approaches, policy frameworks, and implementation challenges.

Keywords: adolescent and sexual health; narrative review; public-health education; sex education; sexuality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States - SIECUS Position Paper. [ Jun; 2024 ]. 2024. https://siecus.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Position-Statements-2018-2... https://siecus.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Position-Statements-2018-2...
    1. UNESCO UNESCO, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, World Health Organization. Paris, France: UNESCO; 2018. International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education: An Evidence-Informed Approach.
    1. Greenberg JS, Bruess CE, Oswalt SB. 6th ed. Jones & Bartlett (ed. Vol. 15. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning ; 2017. Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality, 6th Edn; p. 2010.
    1. Bolin A, Whelehan P, Vernon M, Antoine K. New York: Routledge; 2009. Human Sexuality: Biological, Psychological, and Cultural Understandings ; pp. 10017–12021.
    1. The sexual development and education of preschool children: knowledge and opinions from doctors and nurses. Kurtuncu M, Akhan LU, Tanir İM, Yildiz H. Sex Disabil. 2015;33:207–221. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources