COVID pandemic disrupted sex ed for middle school students

DENVER — The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in students being less engaged and open about sexual education when compared with other middle school classes, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30.

Researchers taught two different groups of 7^th grade students about their sexual health over an 8-lesson course – once during the 2018-2019 school year and again in the 2023-2024 school year. After the courses were completed, each group of students was given a questionnaire on what they learned and their attitudes about sexual health topics. Despite both groups showing interest in the topic, the 2023-2024 group reported more negative feelings and beliefs regarding sexual education than their peers in the 2018-2019 group.

Parker Haddock, research author and medical student with the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, said the findings reinforce known trends regarding student engagement post-pandemic.

"Middle schoolers are learning the facts about sexual health, but that's only half of the battle. If we want students to make healthy choices, we need to teach sexual health in ways that foster not just knowledge, but belief and confidence, and result in real-world application,” Haddock said.

Researchers state this data further solidifies the need for increased urgency in restoring the emotional and social learning kids get in the classroom, especially for a topic that requires change in existing beliefs to help students make safe, informed choices.

“Sexual health curriculum needs to evolve so it can meet students where they are at and give them the tools they will need,” Haddock said.

The authors received financial support for this research from the Family Medicine Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Funding for Student Projects in Care of Underserved Patients and Populations, RI Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Grant, Peterson Educational Enhancement Fund, and The Warren Alpert Medical School Student Senate Funding Board.

Study author Parker Haddock is scheduled to present the research, which is below, from 3:35 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. MDT on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Council on School Health in the Hyatt Regency, Capitol Ballroom 1-2. To request an interview with the authors, contact Jonathan Garris at jonathan_garris@brown.edu.

Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/

Program Name: 2025 Call for Abstracts

Submission Type: Council on School Health

Abstract Title: Sex Ed by Brown Med: The Impact of COVID-19 on Middle Schoolers’ Sexual Health Education

Parker Haddock

Providence, RI, United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted education systems and learning, leading to unprecedented challenges for both students and educators. Among these challenges, a notable decline in students’ attitudes and beliefs towards school-related topics has emerged as a critical area of concern, particularly for middle school students navigating crucial and foundational subjects such as sexual education. Studies have shown that students’ beliefs about sexual health topics were negatively impacted by the pandemic, leading to reduced openness and engagement with the material, likely due to interruptions in educational routine and access to supportive resources. Negative beliefs about sexual health topics can have profound implications, as sexual education has been shown not only to provide students with the ability to make informed and safe decisions about relationships, sexual activity and reproductive health, but to provide significant health benefits in terms of reducing the risk of adolescent pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted infections. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a sexual health education curriculum taught by medical student volunteers on seventh graders’ knowledge and beliefs about sexual health before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim is to provide valuable insight into the broader impact of the pandemic on students’ perceptions of essential learning.

Seventh-grade students participated in an eight-lesson sexual education program during the 2018-2019 and 2023-2024 school years. Pre- and post-program questionnaires were administered to students to assess knowledge across five domains (Communication and Consent, Sexual Health Decision Making & Safe Sex Practices, Healthy Relationships, Puberty and Reproductive Health and Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation) as well as students’ beliefs on these topics (Table 1).

Across both cohorts, students demonstrated a statistically significant increase in overall sexual health knowledge. Before the pandemic (2018-2019), participation in the program also led to significantly improved beliefs around sexual health practices. However, post-pandemic (2023-2024), students’ beliefs did not show change following the curriculum (Table 2).

These findings align with existing literature highlighting post-pandemic shifts in student engagement and learning. While students continue to effectively acquire factual knowledge from the sexual education curriculum, the curriculum’s diminished influence on beliefs emphasizes the challenges of fostering behavioral change in the current educational climate. It is critical to address this gap: belief shifts are essential for translating knowledge into informed decision making. The results suggest the need for curriculum enhancements to ensure that our program not only informs but also empowers students to apply knowledge to real-life decision making.

Table 1. Questionnaire and Scoring Notes.

This table compiles the questions shared between the 2018-2019 and 2023-2024 pre- and post-program assessments with scoring notes.