Abstract

MATOS, Margarida Gaspar de et al. Sexual education in Portugal: Review of legislation and implementation in schools. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2014, vol.15, n.2, pp.335-355. ISSN 1645-0086.

Sex education is crucial for reducing sexual risk behaviors (or at least not to enable to their increase). The goal of this study was to evaluate the implementation of sex education in schools. For the quantitative study, all school Organic Units (OU) in mainland Portugal. In the quantitative study a total of 428 school principals, 424 coordinating teachers of health education, belonging to 428 OU (including 384 school groupings and 44 non grouping secondary schools), which correspond to 53% of the Portuguese public OU, corresponding to 617 701 students and 60 595 teachers. For the qualitative study interviews were conducted. Analysis of the results emphasizes that Law no. º 60/2009 (6^th august) is being implemented with regard to addressing the contents of sex education provided for in the Law as well as the number of hours established. The OU organized an office that provides information and support for students and manage its functioning. The implementation of the Law is, overall, ranked as Good/Very Good. However, principals and teachers emphasize that OU are making a huge effort to implement the Law, some of them questioning their ability to continue this process due to the current conditions. Principals and teachers reported the need to "revitalize" this theme, underlining the need to maintain the Law and the annual Notice from which the Ministry of Education and Science receives proposals for funding request, by the OU, for projects in the area of health promotion, and the importance of teacher training.

Keywords : Adolescents; Sex Education; school; sexual risk behaviors; health promotion.

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