“Mom, Dad — Where do babies come from?”
Did you get a talk on the birds and the bees from a parent figure? Perhaps there were uncomfortable talking points taken from a book that stole what innocence you salvaged from the schoolyard. Maybe, you received great information. But how sure are you?
Think about the knowledge of sexual health that you have amassed over the years. Where did it all come from? Sure, medical volumes discuss sex, but what information did you actually get? And from where?
College students usually get information from their peers and media, rather than parents or professionals; but too often, neither of these sources really hits the mark. Peers may pass on fables instead of fact. Parents often make mistakes on the same topics, according to a study published by the Guttmacher Institute, a program dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive health.
When examining your own understanding of sex, evaluate how credible your sources were. If peers and parents provided such essential sexual decision-making information, you should definitely question it.
Movies, magazines and pornography (e.g., “American Pie,” Cosmo and “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge”) cannot substitute information based on non-mediated human experiences and fact.
Even many educational websites contain inaccuracies, according to a study performed at the University of South Florida. The university’s study reviewed 177 sites and found that those promising to have the most detailed information often had the most inaccuracies. Even if a normally well-informed friend or parent spouts a sexy fact, it is in your interest to fact check.
Why leave chance to such an important issue?
Unfortunately, resources that provide information based on science are uncommon. Please do not depend on in-the-classroom sexual health education either. Many critics have found errors in abstinence-only programs. Just Google it.
And you probably missed the more comprehensive programs that Obama’s health care reform will provide, which includes giving millions of dollars to vamp up sex education programs, including information on preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Ultimately, we simply cannot trust what we hear or read. Seeking out competent sources is a job, but I have found at least one.
Go Ask Alice!, a website maintained by Columbia University’s Health Services, does provide great direction on sexual and other health concerns. You can win the next great sex debate that comes up in the residence halls: simply Go Ask Alice!
