IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i18p6716-d413830.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sexual Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours among Undergraduate Students in China—Implications for Sex Education

Author

Listed:
  • Jinping Lyu

    (Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Xiaoyun Shen

    (Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Therese Hesketh

    (Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    The Institute for Global Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK)

Abstract

Background: Despite rapid modernization and improving gender equity in China in recent decades, traditional values prevail in many areas of life, including sexual behavior. This study aimed to explore gender differences in sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes and sexual behaviors, as well as preferences for sex education among undergraduates in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study surveyed 5965 undergraduates (62.8% females), aged 15 to 24 years from nine universities in Zhejiang, Henan and Yunnan provinces, from September to November 2019. Results: Of the total sample, 158 (2.6%) self-identified as homosexual, 287 (4.8%) as bisexual and 324 (5.4%) stated they were unclear about their sexual identity. The mean sexual knowledge score out of 12 was 6.16 ± 2.54 points. Ever having sexual intercourse was reported by 18.7% (27.0% males, and 13.9% females). Students from urban backgrounds, and those with homosexual and bisexual orientation were more likely to have had sexual intercourse. Most students (72.5%) reported that they would prefer to receive sex education from on-line sources. Conclusions: Female students are significantly more conservative in sexual attitudes and sexual behaviors. Low levels of sexual knowledge contribute to risk behaviors among Chinese adolescents. China needs to develop and widely disseminate on-line sex education, with practical, age-appropriate content.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinping Lyu & Xiaoyun Shen & Therese Hesketh, 2020. "Sexual Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours among Undergraduate Students in China—Implications for Sex Education," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-16, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:18:p:6716-:d:413830
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/18/6716/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/18/6716/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William L. Parish & Edward O. Laumann & Sanyu A. Mojola, 2007. "Sexual Behavior in China: Trends and Comparisons," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 33(4), pages 729-756, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zbigniew Izdebski & Joanna Dec-Pietrowska & Alicja Kozakiewicz & Joanna Mazur, 2022. "What One Gets Is Not Always What One Wants—Young Adults’ Perception of Sexuality Education in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Marianne Cense & Steven de Grauw & Manouk Vermeulen, 2020. "‘Sex Is Not Just about Ovaries.’ Youth Participatory Research on Sexuality Education in The Netherlands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-15, November.
    3. Baria, Yolanda Ysabelle A. & Jallorina, Jemaima G. & Lopez, Maryfiona Lourdez T. & Olaya, Adreinne Deine & Segundo, Jether B., 2024. "Saint Mary’s University Senior High School Grade 12 Students’ Level of Sexual Knowledge and Extent of Sexual Practices," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(4), pages 1807-1833, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shen, Ke & Wang, Feng & Cai, Yong, 2016. "Patterns of inequalities in public transfers by gender in China," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 8(C), pages 76-84.
    2. M. Giovanna Merli & Sara Hertog, 2010. "Masculine sex ratios, population age structure and the potential spread of HIV in China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 22(3), pages 63-94.
    3. Zhiwen Xiao & Seth Noar & Lily Zeng, 2014. "Systematic review of HIV prevention interventions in China: a health communication perspective," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(1), pages 123-142, February.
    4. Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2015. "Sex and happiness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 26-32.
    5. M. Merli & James Moody & Joshua Mendelsohn & Robin Gauthier, 2015. "Sexual Mixing in Shanghai: Are Heterosexual Contact Patterns Compatible With an HIV/AIDS Epidemic?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 919-942, June.
    6. Liu, Jindian & Cheng, Mingwang & Wei, Xinyu & Yu, Ning Neil, 2020. "The Internet-driven sexual revolution in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    7. Zhiming Cheng & Russell Smyth, 2015. "China’s Imbalanced Sex Ratio and Satisfaction with Marital Relationships," Monash Economics Working Papers 22-15, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    8. Lijun Yang, 2021. "The role of premarital cohabitation in the timing of first birth in China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(8), pages 259-290.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:18:p:6716-:d:413830. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.