Reuters (12.16.08) - Thursday, December 18, 2008
Joene Hendry

The researchers compared the two approaches among more than 9,000 male and female eighth-graders. Peer-led sessions, conducted by specially trained older students, included information similar to that offered in the teacher-led program.

Follow-up through age 20.5 found 7.5 percent of girls who received peer-led education had unintentional pregnancies, compared with 10.6 percent of those who received teacher-led education. While that difference was not statistically significant, the difference in unintended pregnancies before age 18 was 7.2 percent versus 11.2 percent, respectively.

However, abortion rates by age 20 were the same - 5 percent - regardless of the education method. There were no differences in teens' reports of unprotected first sex, pressured sex, STDs, contraception practices or use, or in the percent of students who reported sexual activity before age 18, the researchers said.

In a related commentary, Dr. David A. Ross of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine noted that the use of actual, rather than self-reported abortion and pregnancy data, is the study's main strength. But "it does not tell us how effective either intervention was relative to no sexual health education," he said, adding that rigorous evaluations of approaches to reducing risky sexual behaviors in teens must continue.

The study, "The Long-Term Effects of a Peer-Led Sex Education Program (RIPPLE): A Cluster Randomized Trial in Schools in England," and the commentary, "Approaches to Sex Education: Peer-Led or Teacher-Led?" were published in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine (2008;5(11):e224 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050224) and e229 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050229, respectively).
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