Live-streaming comprehensive sexuality education in Western China: an analysis of the views of implementers and junior secondary students

Abstract

ABSTRACTFollowing China’s rapid socioeconomic transition, the sexual attitudes and behaviours of Chinese youth have changed considerably, raising serious concerns about their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). While comprehensive and high-quality formal sexuality education has been shown to lead to safer sexual behaviour, the delivery of formal SRH education in China remains insufficient, especially in Western regions. This study usedd qualitative approaches to evaluate the implementation of a live-streaming comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programme in Western China between 2019 and 2021, Nineteen participants were recruited to participate in this study. Ten face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted privately with specialists, school principals, and live-streaming tutors. Two focus groups were conducted with classroom teachers and junior secondary students, respectively. Findings reveal that both programme implementers and students demonstrated high satisfaction with CSE implementation. They indicated that CSE provision helped enhance adolescents’ SRH knowledge and attitudes so as to better prepare them for a healthy and secure future. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, sustainability, and scale-up possibilities of the both the CSE curriculum and the live-streaming delivery approach. Findings may help guide future implementation of CSE at all levels, and thus improve access to CSE for vulnerable populations and diminish SRH disparities more effectively.KEYWORDS: Comprehensive sexuality educationsexual and reproductive healthChinese adolescentsWestern Chinahealth equity AcknowledgmentsThis study was supported by the China Family Planning Association (CFPA) and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). Thanks go to the management teams and volunteers from CFPA, UNFPA and participants for their invaluable contributions to this study.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Availability of data and materialsData are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.Additional informationFundingFunding for this study was received from the China Family Planning Association (CFPA).