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Teens need sexuality info, survey says Most respondents don't know whether enough is available in the valley By JONEL ALECCIA When it comes to teen sexuality, the vast majority of Jackson County adults believe "just say no" isn't enough, a new survey shows. Teens as young as middle school should have access to comprehensive sexuality information and reproductive services, even through the public schools, according to the results of a demonstration survey coordinated by state, county and Southern Oregon University sources. But most adults are also unsure whether adequate services are available for local young people, and many believe it is too difficult for kids to get to them. The results of the survey of 160 registered voters from throughout Jackson County were released Friday at a community forum focusing on prevention of teen pregnancy. Jane Stevenson, a county health educator who compiled the data, said the survey provided solid information for future action. "I'd like to challenge you to put your personal and religious views aside and let research guide you in your decisions," Stevenson told a crowd of about 75 agency workers and community members gathered at North Medford High School. The forum was sponsored by the Jackson County Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy Program. Conducted last spring by SOU sociology students, the Reproductive Health Care Survey was a pilot project designed to develop a tool for assessing community attitudes, said Bob Nystrom, adolescent health manager for the state Department of Human Services. The $15,000 survey was funded by two state grants and county in-kind donations of staff time. "When this information gets translated to the local level, it becomes very personal for a community," Nystrom said. "It provides an opportunity for a community to define its own values." According to the survey, originally sent to 500 voters, 93 percent of area adults believe reproductive health-care services should be available to young people. Eighty-three percent believe it's appropriate or somewhat appropriate to offer those services in public high schools, and 71 percent believe it's appropriate or somewhat so to provide them in middle schools. Reproductive services include counseling about benefits of postponing sexual involvement and the risks and consequences of early involvement; female gynecological exams; male reproductive health exams; screening and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases; and counseling about and supplying of birth control. In addition, 60 percent of adults didn't know or thought it was difficult for local youth to get services, and 46 percent didn't know whether existing services were adequate for kids. Coordinators considered the survey to be statistically valid, if small, Nystrom said. The 160 replies translated to a 32 percent response rate. About 70 percent of respondents were female. Half the respondents were aged 50 or older; more than 60 percent had children ages 11 or older. Twenty percent had children younger than age 10 and 19 percent had no children at all. Half lived in Medford or Central Point; more than 18 percent lived in Ashland. The rest hailed from other Jackson County cities. Most of the respondents were well-educated; three-quarters had attended some college or earned a bachelor's degree or more. Nineteen percent had a high school education. The local responses correspond with similar national studies, which show that 93 percent of Americans support comprehensive sexuality education, Stevenson said. "Eighty-five percent of Americans want their children to be taught how to use a condom," she said. "Only 12 percent said giving teens information encourages sexual activity." That point is important, said Nystrom. Vocal views about teen sexuality often skew toward what turns out to be a minority opinion: that is, that teens should not be given information about or access to contraception and other reproductive tools. "This means you'll make decisions based on good information and not on erroneous belief systems or a vocal minority," Nystrom said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.