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Efficacy of Reproductive and Sexual Health Education for School-Going Adolescents

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Abstract

Adolescence is a transitional phase when an individual experiences a lot of psychological and physiological changes. During this phase, they require judicious guidance by parents and teachers. Curiosity about various issues during this phase is a normal phenomenon. Sometimes, some of them wish to experiment with their curiosity under the influence of the peer group members. Consciously or unconsciously, some of them get involved in high-risk behaviours, for which, they pay a heavy price in a conservative society like India where pre-marital sex is taboo. In addition, risk behaviour also adversely affects their concentration in studies and future career. Therefore, parents and teachers should discuss with them about all the developmental issues so that; they remain well informed and do not indulge in any high-risk behaviour. The objective of this chapter is to discuss the knowledge and perception of adolescents about various aspects of reproductive and sexual health, in addition to understanding their behaviour, based on the findings of an intervention programme. Further, the chapter suggests evidence-based measures for disseminating information among adolescents about various reproductive and sexual health-related issues, in a culture friendly and sensitive manner, so that they become receptive and may benefit from the intervention programmes. Empowerment with correct information is found to be very beneficial to relieve anxiety and make them psychologically competent to deal with the changing situations in life.

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Correspondence to Sibnath Deb .

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Deb, S. (2018). Efficacy of Reproductive and Sexual Health Education for School-Going Adolescents. In: Deb, S. (eds) Positive Schooling and Child Development. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0077-6_10

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