Further Policy Oriented Research
11.6 Further Policy Oriented Research
This study has identified a number of policy-related questions that should be addressed in future studies. These suggestions are listed here. In some cases, the items on this list repeat some of the suggestions already made in this concluding section of this report.
The suggestions for further research arising from this paper are:
1.Use this study as a prototype to develop a school health policies and programs monitoring system.
2.Identify the minimum learning outcomes/health determinants for school-community sexual health promotion and HIV/STD prevention. These outcomes and determinants should be described by age/grade and other student characteristics.
3.Investigate the cost-effectiveness, benefits and efficacy of delivering preventive sexual health services to adolescents in the school setting.
4.Describe the most effective scope and sequence for school-based curricula in sexuality education.
5.Describe the skills, knowledge and attitudes/beliefs as well as formal qualifications required of public health nurses to work with youth and schools on sexual health promotion.
6.Examine the current capacity of public health systems to perform the functions of community development, facilitator, researcher and policy advocacy relative to health, sexual health/HIV and in working with schools in these respects.
7.Conduct a baseline study on the current satisfaction of parents and students with the sexuality education and adolescent sexual health services received.
8.Conduct a baseline study on the achievement of students in sexuality education and health education. This study would measure knowledge, skills, selected attitudes or beliefs and behaviourial intentions.
9.Conduct a baseline study on the accessibility and adolescent use of preventive sexual health services.
10.Conduct qualitative studies into the reasons why teachers are not using active learning/teaching methods, nor addressing sensitive sexual health issues in sexuality education.
11.Investigate how learning about HIV, STD and sexual health can be integrated successfully into other subjects in the school timetable.
12.Investigate low cost ways to deliver sustained and sustainable teacher professional development specifically related to sexuality education.
13.Investigate ways in which youth-led health promotion strategies such as peer helper programs, student leadership programs and curriculum-based community service programs can be best applied to sexual health promotion.
14.Describe how preventive health services can be best delivered to adolescents.
15.Determine if further adaptations of the delivery of sexual health services to adolescents are required by studying the current delivery of such services in a variety of communities and with a variety of clientele.
16.Investigate how public health professionals can be educated to perform their roles of community developer and facilitator.
17.Investigate how social marketing and awareness campaigns can be designed to reach selected youth audiences about sexual health issues and how these campaigns can be coordinated by schools and clinics.
18.Conduct qualitative studies in selected communities and schools to determine how universal precautions related to HIV and other communicable diseases can best be maintained and supported in the school setting.
19.Conduct case studies to describe how the social climate of the school can be influenced to prevent discrimination, harassment and a negative atmosphere for gay, lesbian and bisexual students. As part of this research, determine if current school sexual harassment polices are being implemented effectively.
20.Undertake baseline surveys of the attitudes and beliefs of parents, students and professionals in respect to HIV, STD and sexual health issues. Make these results and survey available to school and public health systems.
This study has not been designed to demonstrate directly that when effective policies, programs and practices are in place, adolescents will choose safer sexual health behaviours. However, numerous studies have linked these healthier behaviours with specific interventions such as sexuality education, preventive health services and peer education. Consequently, it would be useful to study communities where many of the policies and programs described in this report are in place, comparing the behaviours of youth to communuties where fewer elements are in place. This is our concluding suggestion for research arising from this study. This type of study would demonstrate the combined power of these many policies and programs.