Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents toward sexuality education for primary school children in China

Abstract

This cross-sectional study provides insight into the perceptions of Chinese parents of primary school children with respect to sexuality education. A sample of 19,745 parents was surveyed using an online questionnaire in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, China. SPSS version 23.0 was used for data analysis. In this study, nearly 90% of parents had positive attitudes toward the sexuality education of children in primary schools. However, Chinese parents had limited knowledge of sexuality education. More than 60% of parents were unaware of the sexuality questions that children may encounter at different ages and did not have any accurate information on child sexual abuse prevention education. Although ~ 70% of parents (both fathers and mothers) reported that they had used television and Internet resources to talk with their children about sexuality and 63% reported that they had read books with their children about sexuality, < 30% reported using appropriate terminology with their children on sexuality education and only 40% reported talking to their children about sexuality comfortably. The multivariate linear regression equation showed some factors associated with the practices of parents in sexuality education, including parental knowledge, attitudes, their experience in receiving sex education in childhood, and their educational level. The findings from this study suggest that it is important to develop culturally relevant training programs for parents of primary schools in Chinese society. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

A study on the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the parenting outcome expectancy scale for parents of elementary school students

“…Furthermore, approximately 80% of the participants mentioned that they were uncomfortable talking about sex with their children. These results are similar to those found in China, where only 40% of participants who were parents of children similar in age to those in this study felt comfortable discussing sex with their children (Zhang and Yuan, 2023). Furthermore, in Ethiopia, only 21.3% of parents communicated with their children about sexual issues (Bekele et al, 2022).…”

Uptake of HIV testing and its correlates among sexually experienced college students in Southwestern, China: a Web-Based online cross-sectional study

“…We found that the uptake of HIV testing increased for college students with a rising HIV-related knowledge and sexual health knowledge score. In China, the low level of HIV-related knowledge and sexual health knowledge among university students may be due to the influence of traditional mentality [ 22 , 41 ], as well as parents' perceptions and attitudes towards sexuality [ 42 ], and lack of effectively sexual courses in some Chinese colleges [ 43 ]. Moreover, college students with sufficient HIV-related knowledge were more likely to test for HIV than those who with insufficient HIV-related knowledge, are consistent with previous studies [ 44 – 47 ].…”

“…Parents play a primary role in educating sex to their children, and young people often want to learn about sex health knowledge from their parents [ 65 ]. However, a low proportion of parents involved in sex education [ 42 ], and only one-third of the parents had talked to their children comfortably about sex [ 42 ]. Thus, it is recommended to be a collaborative program involves families and colleges on sex education.…”

Where do Babies Come from? Parent-Child Communication about Sex Education

“…I. Rudolph et al, 2022). Without explanation from parents, the messages are likely to remain disjointed and contradictory to children (Zhang & Yuan, 2023).…”