Evergreen State's Abstinence-Only Program Targets Youth, Parents
by Mary Rettig
May 9, 2005
(AgapePress) - The Washington State Health Department has launched an abstinence-only program targeting young teens. State health officer Dr. Maxine Hayes says the "No Sex, No Problems" campaign is the federally funded result of a long-term effort to find out what young teens and their parents believe about sex.Hayes says the campaign's message resonates well with teens. She notes that many young people surveyed said they "felt pressured by the media and also by their peers; and the younger youth -- especially these really young kids between the ages of 10 and 14 -- don't agree with their peers who are engaging in sexual activity."
The Washington State abstinence-only program is designed not only to encourage teens to abstain, but also to encourage youth who are already abstaining that they are not the only ones who are not having sex. Meanwhile, Hayes points out that parents of children in this target group have indicated they have similar attitudes about the importance of abstinence, but many "actually felt that they didn't know how to talk to their youth about abstaining."
For this reason, the State Health Department official says the "No Sex, No Problems" campaign also offers the parents of young teens and pre-teens encouragement and suggestions related to encouraging youth to abstain. An important media component of the "No Sex, No Problems" program is composed of television, radio, and billboard ads, some targeting teens and others targeting parents.
Dr. Hayes says the messages in the media campaign come from real teens in Washington State who said they disagree with their peers who are having sex. The statewide abstinence program also provides a website where young people can read about reasons to wait and where parents can get advice on how to address the topic of abstinence with their children.
