Keeping up-to-date on sexual health and HIV information is the cornerstone of HIV prevention programming. Youth should have information on their development, sexuality, the HIV epidemic in the United States, risk factors that contribute to HIV, how to reduce their risk of getting HIV from a sex partner, and HIV care options.
Advantages of Providing Sexual Health & HIV Education
Adolescence is a time of rapid physical, emotional and social, sexual, and identity changes. Youth need comprehensive education about sexual health and HIV to:
- Ensure they have the knowledge and support to develop healthy sexual behavior during adolescence and into young adulthood
- Help them understand the continued risk HIV poses in the U.S.
- Maintain good health, especially when living with HIV
- Reduce new HIV infections
Youth HIV Facts
Challenges of Providing Sexual Health & HIV Education
Comprehensive sexual health and HIV education programs for youth are made up of many components. It is often difficult for organizations to fit all the necessary topics into the time they spend with young people, as well as to present information in an engaging way.
The pages in this section provide practical tools and resources for developing inclusive sex education that address adolescent development, sexual health, as well as HIV prevention and treatment.
VOICES is a great tool to use. The video introduces a lot of topics that we need to talk about concerning condom negotiation."
Cicely - Atlanta, GA