Sexual Risk Avoidance Education

What is Optimal Health?

Sexual risk reduction v Risk Avoidance

WHY TEACH OPTIMAL HEALTH BASED ON PRIMARY PREVENTION STRATEGIES?

Optimal Health is a dynamic balance of physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social health.

Making Healthy choices help us live the best quality of life possible. Our children & youth should all be given the best evidence-based, risk avoidance education, and the opportunity to choose options that offer them the best protection.

Risk avoidance education is built on primary prevention and teaches skills for risk avoidance and risk cessation and is combined with positive youth development strategies.

to teach them healthy decision-making, and how to focus on their future;
to empower them by sharing the advantage of refraining from non-marital sexual activity;
to educate them on the importance of self-sufficiency and emotional maturity before engaging in sexual activity;
to instill in them the building blocks of healthy relationships and how to form marriages and families;
to guide them to understand that other risks such as using gateway drugs, illicit drugs and alcohol usage, can lead to an increase in the risk for teen sex and harmful outcomes; and
to equip them to resist and refuse and seek help regarding sexual coercion and dating violence, recognizing that, even with consent, teen sex remains a youth risk behavior.

1. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recognized the need for Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) programs and Sexual Risk Cessation Education (SRCE). They defined SRAE as “an education that teaches participants how to voluntarily refrain from non-marital sexual activity. SRAE Programs also teach the benefits associated with: self-regulation, success sequencing for poverty prevention, healthy relationships, goal setting, resisting sexual coercion, avoiding dating violence, and resisting youth risk behaviors such as: underage drinking and illicit drug use.”

2. In December 2020, several regional agencies signed off on an agreement to expand the HFLE curriculum to introduce Comprehensive Sexuality Education which they deem necessary for filling the gap in sex education and achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights, however, we are here to teach primary prevention to youth 12 and over. We are here to teach our youth practical skills to avoid risks.

3. According to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce:

“Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) is the best public health strategy to prevent unintended teen pregnancies and sexually-transmitted infections (STIs). Designed to emphasize risk avoidance, rather than risk reduction, SRA programs are based on effective programs designed to encourage teens to avoid underage drinking, illicit drug use, reckless driving, and other risky behaviors. It sends a clear message that abstinence is the healthiest choice that teens can make for themselves and for society as a whole, and it presents that message in a dignified, age-appropriate manner.”

5. According to the CDC, “abstinence from vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse is the only 100% effective way to prevent HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy…… condom use cannot guarantee absolute protection against any STD or pregnancy.” These facts highlight the need for primary prevention education that teaches what is 100% effective as well as other preventive measures to help youth live thriving lives.