Adolescence

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Adolescent sexual health

Arab countries

• United Nations Population Fund
  • Youth sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in the Arab region - An overview [2022]
  • Towards scaling up comprehensive sexuality education in the Arab Region: an operational guide for UNFPA staff and partners working on CSE implementation [2022]

Argentina

• International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
  • Risk-stratified analysis of sex risk behaviors and correlates among school-going adolescents in Argentina: insights from a national survey [2024]

Asia

• Indian Journal of Public Health
  • Examining Asian Parents' Perspectives and Challenges in Sexual and Reproductive Health Education with Implications for Public Health: A Systematic Review [2024]

Brazil

• Ciência & Saúde Coletiva
  • Prevalence and factors associated with risky sexual behavior among Brazilian school adolescents [2024]

• PLoS ONE
  • Prevalence and correlates of early sexual initiation among Brazilian adolescents [2021]

Burkina Faso, Kenya

• Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Trends in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes Before and Into the COVID-19 Pandemic in Burkina Faso and Kenya: Evidence From Panel Data [2024]

Canada

• Canadian Paediatric Society
  • Comprehensive sexual health assessments for adolescents [2020]

• Sex Information & Education Council of Canada
  • Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education [2019]

Canada, Central Asia, Europe

• WHO European Region
  • A focus on adolescent sexual health in Europe, central Asia and Canada: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2021/2022 survey [2024]

Denmark

• Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Sexuality Among Young Danes Treated for Long-Lasting or Severe Physical Disease: Baseline Findings in a Nationwide Cohort Study [2023]

Developing countries

• Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Young People's Sexual and Reproductive Health Interventions in Developing Countries: Making the Investments Count [2016]

• World Health Organization
  • The sexual and reproductive health of younger adolescents in developing countries: research issues in developing countries: background paper for consultation [2011]
  • The sexual and reproductive health of young adolescents in developing countries: reviewing the evidence, identifying research gaps, and moving the agenda: report of a WHO technical consultation, Geneva, 4-5 November 2010 [2011]
  • Sexual relations among young people in developing countries: Evidence from WHO case studies [2001]

East Africa

• BMC Women's Health
  • Prevalence and associated factors of early sexual initiation among female youth in East Africa: further analysis of recent demographic and health survey [2022]

Estonia

• Reproductive Health
  • The success factors of scaling-up Estonian sexual and reproductive health youth clinic network - from a grassroots initiative to a national programme 1991–2013 [2015]

• World Health Organization
  • Amor youth clinic network in Estonia [2009]

Ethiopia

• Frontiers in Public Health
  • Quality of adolescent and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis [2023]

• Reproductive Health
  • Ethiopia has a long way to go meeting adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health needs [2022]
  • ASRHR in Ethiopia: reviewing progress over the last 20 years and looking ahead to the next 10 years [2022]

Europe

• European Journal of Public Health
  • Gendered trends in early and very early sex and condom use in 20 European countries from 2002 to 2010 [2015]

• European Parliament
  • Policies for Sexuality Education in the European Union [2013]

• Frontiers in Public Health
  • Promoting sexual health in schools: a systematic review of the European evidence [2023]

• WHO European Region
  • Child and adolescent health in the WHO European Region: sexual and reproductive health fact sheet [2024]

France

• BMC Public Health
  • Multidisciplinary peer-led sexual and reproductive health education programme in France, a prospective controlled-study [2022]

Gambia

• Pan African Medical Journal
  • Sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people in the Gambia: a systematic review [2021]

India

• Indian Academy of Pediatrics
  • Adolescent Sexuality [2022]

• Indian Journal of Medical Ethics
  • Law Commission of India report on the age of consent: Denying justice and autonomy to adolescents [2024]

• Indian Journal of Psychiatry
  • Adolescent sex education in India: Current perspectives [2015]

• Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
  • Promising practices for the design and implementation of sexuality education programmes for youth in India: a scoping review [2023]

International

• Australian Journal of General Practice
  • COVID-19 and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for young people: An overview of the international literature and policy [2022]

• Contraception
  • Pharmacy provision of sexual and reproductive health commodities to young people: a systematic literature review and synthesis of the evidence [2016]

• Global Health Action
  • A systematic review of the use of adolescent mystery clients in assessing the adolescent friendliness of health services in high, middle, and low-income countries [2018]

• Global Health: Science and Practice
  • What Does Not Work in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Review of Evidence on Interventions Commonly Accepted as Best Practices [2015]

• International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics
  • FIGO position statement on comprehensive sexuality education [2024]

• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  • Are mHealth Interventions Effective in Improving the Uptake of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services among Adolescents? A Scoping Review [2024]
  • Shared Components of Worldwide Successful Sexuality Education Interventions for Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials [2023]

• International Planned Parenthood Federation
  • IMAP Statement on youth peer provision models to deliver sexual and reproductive health services to young people [2017]
  • Fulfil! Guidance document for the implementation of young people's sexual rights [2016]

• Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Regional and Sex Differences in the Prevalence and Correlates of Early Sexual Initiation Among Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years in 50 Countries [2021]
  • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Progress in the 25 Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development and Prospects for the Next 25 years [2019]
  • Addressing Gender Socialization and Masculinity Norms Among Adolescent Boys: Policy and Programmatic Implications [2018]

• Journal of Medical Internet Research
  • Exposure to Pornography and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Systematic Review [2023]

• Journal of Pediatric Nursing
  • Sexual and reproductive health interventions geared toward adolescent males: A scoping review [2023]

• Patient Education and Counseling
  • Quality and measurement properties of sexual health knowledge tools for adolescents: A rapid review [2024]

• Reproductive Health
  • Reorienting adolescent sexual and reproductive health research: reflections from an international conference [2016]
  • Invest in adolescents and young people: it pays [2013]

• Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
  • Good progress in a number of areas of ASRH, but there is much more that needs to be done [2023]

• Social Science & Medicine
  • A systematic review of economic evaluations conducted on gender-transformative interventions aimed at preventing unintended pregnancy and promoting sexual health in adolescents [2024]

• UNESCO
  • The journey towards comprehensive sexuality education: global status report [2021]
  • International technical guidance on sexuality education: an evidence-informed approach [2018]

• United Nations Population Fund
  • International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out-of-School Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) [2020]
  • The Evaluation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education Programmes [2015]
  • Emerging Evidence, Lessons and Practice in Comprehensive Sexuality Education, a global review [2015]

Iran

• Health Research Policy and Systems
  • Agenda-setting in policies related to high-risk sexual behaviours, stimulants, and alcohol abuse in Iranian adolescents [2023]

Italy

• Archives of Sexual Behavior
  • Sex Education in Italy: An Overview of 15 Years of Projects in Primary and Secondary Schools [2023]

Kenya

• BMC Health Services Research
  • Sexual reproductive health service provision to young people in Kenya; health service providers’ experiences [2013]

• Med
  • A critical review of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights in Kenya [2022]

Latin America

• Evaluation and Program Planning
  • Lessons learnt from the CERCA Project, a multicomponent intervention to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health in three Latin America countries: a qualitative post-hoc evaluation [2016]

• Global Health Action
  • Primary healthcare providers’ views on improving sexual and reproductive healthcare for adolescents in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua [2013]

• Reproductive Health
  • Improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Latin America: reflections from an International Congress [2015]

Lithuania

• BMC Health Services Research
  • Changes in public attitudes towards confidential adolescent sexual and reproductive health services in Lithuania after the introduction of new legislation: findings from the cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2005 and 2012 [2015]

• Contraception
  • Sexual behavior of Lithuanian high school students [2022]

Low and middle income countries

• BMC Health Services Research
  • Applying technology to promote sexual and reproductive health and prevent gender based violence for adolescents in low and middle-income countries: digital health strategies synthesis from an umbrella review [2022]

• BMC Public Health
  • A systematic review of sexual and reproductive health interventions for young people in humanitarian and lower-and-middle-income country settings [2020]

• Frontiers in Public Health
  • Environmental scan of mobile apps for promoting sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries [2022]

• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  • How Sexuality Education Programs Have Been Evaluated in Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries? A Systematic Review [2020]

• JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
  • Prevalence and Trends of Sexual Behaviors Among Young Adolescents Aged 12 Years to 15 Years in Low and Middle-Income Countries: Population-Based Study [2023]

• Journal of Adolescent Health
  • Sexually Transmitted Infection Services for Adolescents and Youth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Perceived and Experienced Barriers to Accessing Care [2016]
  • Detailed Methodology for Systematic Reviews of Interventions to Improve the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young People in Low- and Middle-Income Countries [2016]

• Reproductive Health
  • Providing technical assistance: lessons learned from the first three years of the WHO Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Technical Assistance Coordination Mechanism [2024]
  • Factors influencing the integration of comprehensive sexuality education into educational systems in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review [2022]
  • Using mobile phones to improve young people sexual and reproductive health in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review to identify barriers, facilitators, and range of mHealth solutions [2021]

Low-income countries

• World Health Organization
  • Promoting adolescent sexual and reproductive health through schools in low income countries : an information brief [2009]

Mekong Region countries

• Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
  • Peer education interventions for HIV prevention and sexual health with young people in Mekong Region countries: a scoping review and conceptual framework [2022]

Moldova

• BMC Health Services Research
  • Cost analysis and exploratory cost-effectiveness of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in the Republic of Moldova [2014]

Mozambique

• Reproductive Health
  • Programa Geração Biz, Mozambique: how did this adolescent health initiative grow from a pilot to a national programme, and what did it achieve? [2015]

Nepal

• World Health Organization
  • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme to Address Equity, Social Determinants, Gender and Human Rights in Nepal, Report of the Pilot Project [2017]

Pacific Islands

• PLoS ONE
  • Barriers and enablers to young people accessing sexual and reproductive health services in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A scoping review [2023]

Pakistan

• Global Health: Science and Practice
  • Building Support for Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education and Responding to Resistance in Conservative Contexts: Cases From Pakistan [2018]

Republic of Korea

• Children
  • Trends in Early Sexual Initiation and Its Association with Socio-Environmental Factors among Korean Adolescents [2023]

Rwanda

• Annals of Epidemiology
  • Measuring sexual behavior among in-school youth in Rwanda: a cross-sectional analysis of self-reported timing of first sex and correlates of early sexual debut [2023]

• BMC Public Health
  • "Not just the consequences, but also the pleasurable sex": a review of the content of comprehensive sexuality education for early adolescents in Rwanda [2023]

Senegal

• Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning
  • Scaling up sexuality education in Senegal: integrating family life education into the national curriculum [2016]

South Africa

• BMC International Health and Human Rights
  • Changes to the law on consent in South Africa: implications for school-based adolescent sexual and reproductive health research [2012]

South Asia

• Global Health Action
  • Key indicators for appraising adolescent sexual and reproductive health in South Asia: international expert consensus exercise using the Delphi technique [2020]

• World Health Organization
  • Towards adulthood: Exploring the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents in South Asia [2003]

South Sudan

• BMJ Open
  • Policies, programmes and research on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health in South Sudan: a systematic scoping review [2025]

Sub-Saharan Africa

• BMC Public Health
  • Socioeconomic inequality in early sexual initiation among female youths in sub-Saharan African countries: a decomposition analysis [2023]
  • Trends and country-level variation in age at first sex in sub-Saharan Africa among birth cohorts entering adulthood between 1985 and 2020 [2022]
  • Prevalence and correlates of sexual intercourse among sexually active in-school adolescents: an analysis of five sub-Sahara African countries for the adolescent’s sexual health policy implications [2019]

• BMC Women's Health
  • Prevalence and associated factors of early sexual initiation among youth female in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis of recent demographic and health surveys [2023]

• BMJ Global Health
  • Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa: who is left behind? [2020]

• JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
  • Exploring the Use of Digital Educational Tools for Sexual and Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic Review [2025]

• Open Access Journal of Contraception
  • Socio-Ecological Analysis of Barriers to Access and Utilization of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Qualitative Systematic Review [2023]

• PLoS ONE
  • The effectiveness and characteristics of mHealth interventions to increase adolescent’s use of Sexual and Reproductive Health services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review [2022]

• Reproductive Health
  • Impact of social environment on sexual behaviors of adolescent girls in 12 sub-Saharan African countries: a cross-sectional study [2022]
  • Factors influencing access to and utilisation of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review [2021]
  • Nature of, and responses to key sexual and reproductive health challenges for adolescents in urban slums in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review [2020]
  • A review of interventions addressing structural drivers of adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health vulnerability in sub-Saharan Africa: implications for sexual health programming [2014]
  • A review of studies of parent-child communication about sexuality and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa [2011]

• Social Science & Medicine
  • Is the sexual behaviour of young people in sub-Saharan Africa influenced by their peers? A systematic review [2015]

Tanzania

• BMC Public Health
  • Prevalence and associated factors of early sexual initiation among female youth in Tanzania: a nationwide survey [2025]

Uganda

• Sexuality Research and Social Policy
  • Debating Sex and Sovereignty: Uganda's New National Sexuality Education Policy [2022]

United Kingdom

• Journal of School Nursing
  • A Rapid Review and Narrative Synthesis of the Consequences of Non-Inclusive Sex Education in UK Schools on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Young People [2023]

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
  • Harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people [2016]

United States

• Advocates for Youth
  • National Sex Education Standards [2020]

• American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Promoting Healthy Sexuality for Children and Adolescents With Disabilities [2021]
  • Emerging Issues in Male Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Care [2020]
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Services in the Pediatric Setting [2017]
  • Care of the Adolescent After an Acute Sexual Assault [2017]
  • Sexuality Education for Children and Adolescents [2016]
  • The Evaluation of Sexual Behaviors in Children [2013]
  • Office-Based Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth [2013]
  • Male Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Care [2011]

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  • Comprehensive Sexuality Education [2016]

• Cancer Medicine
  • Pediatric oncology clinician communication about sexual health with adolescents and young adults: A report from the children’s oncology group [2021]

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Role of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual Behaviors and Receipt of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Among U.S. High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2019–2021 [2023]
  • Sexual Risk Behavior Differences Among Sexual Minority High School Students — United States, 2015 and 2017 [2018]
  • Sexual Intercourse Among High School Students — 29 States and United States Overall, 2005–2015 [2018]
  • Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9–12 — United States and Selected Sites, 2015 [2016]

• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
  • A Systematic Review on Sexual Health and Drug Use Prevention Interventions for Black Girls [2022]

• Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
  • Sexual Health Behavior Interventions for U.S. Latino Adolescents: A Systematic Review of the Literature [2012]

• Journal of Pediatrics
  • Clinician Adherence to Recommendations for Screening of Adolescents for Sexual Activity and Sexually Transmitted Infection/HIV [2014]

• PLoS ONE
  • Comparability of estimates and trends in adolescent sexual and contraceptive behaviors from two national surveys: National Survey of Family Growth and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey [2021]

• Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
  • Promoting Sexual Consent Principles in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Care of Adolescents and Young Adults [2023]
  • Recommendations for Promoting the Health and Well-being of Sexual and Gender-diverse Adolescents Through Supportive Families and Affirming Support Networks [2022]
  • Advocating for Adolescent and Young Adult Male Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Position Statement From the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine [2018]
  • Abstinence-only-until-marriage policies and programs: An updated position paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine [2017]
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health Care: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine [2014]
  • Recommendations for Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adolescents: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine [2013]
  • Abstinence-only education policies and programs: A position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine [2006]

WHO

• World Health Organization
  • How school systems can improve health and well-being: topic brief: sexual and reproductive health [2024]
  • The project has ended but we can still learn from it! Practical guidance for conducting post-project evaluations of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights projects [2019]
  • WHO recommendations on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights [2018]
  • Guidance on ethical considerations in planning and reviewing research studies on sexual and reproductive health in adolescents [2018]
  • Generating demand and community support for sexual and reproductive health services for young people. A review of the literature and programmes [2009]
  • Comprehensive sexuality education

Zambia

• Health Research Policy and Systems
  • Unlocking policy synergies, challenges and contradictions influencing implementation of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Framework in Zambia: a policy analysis [2023]

{Related topics}

• Topic
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • HIV/AIDS in children and adolescents
  • Adolescent reproductive health, adolescent gynecology
  • Adolescent pregnancy
  • Adolescent health
  • Adolescent contraception