An Analysis of Sexual Health in New Zealand Youth
Why are increased levels of sexual education in schools not reducing rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in New Zealand adolescents?
Although sexual health is a component of our national curriculum, and so is taught in all New Zealand high schools, there are still concernedly high rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections in New Zealand adolescents. A multidisciplinary approach can be used to uncover the potential reasons behind this gap between intervention and outcome. This essay will use the perspectives of health geographers, psychologists and sociologists to explore the phenomenon, and will show how multidisciplinary research is useful when considering a topic such as this, with a complex system of potential causes.
A geographer’s view is that the dynamic relationship between place and health is not merely a consequence of location. Instead this discipline views place in terms of sense of place, where places of significance to a person evoke feelings and emotions (Coleman et al., 2010; Kearns, 1993). This concept occupies the abstract space between physical place and the experience of place, where we unconsciously interpret a place by ‘reading’ the messages it contains (Kearns, 1993). Health and place exist in a reciprocal relationship, where individual characteristics shape one’s experience of a place, just as a place can shape one’s opportunities for experience (Kearns, 1993).
School bears everyday significance for adolescents, as it is there that young people form identities and knowledge bases, including health knowledge (Coleman et al., 2010). When considering sexual health messages in schools, geographers might say that their lack of effectiveness is determined by the students’ sense of place within their school. Every individual experiences place in a different way from others, and the social and environmental components of a place can influence its impact on a person (Kearns, 1993).
Although sexual health is a component of our national curriculum, and so is taught in all New Zealand high schools, there are still concernedly high rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections in New Zealand adolescents. A multidisciplinary approach can be used to uncover the potential reasons behind this gap between intervention and outcome. This essay will use the perspectives of health geographers, psychologists and sociologists to explore the phenomenon, and will show how multidisciplinary research is useful when considering a topic such as this, with a complex system of potential causes.
A geographer’s view is that the dynamic relationship between place and health is not merely a consequence of location. Instead this discipline views place in terms of sense of place, where places of significance to a person evoke feelings and emotions (Coleman et al., 2010; Kearns, 1993). This concept occupies the abstract space between physical place and the experience of place, where we unconsciously interpret a place by ‘reading’ the messages it contains (Kearns, 1993). Health and place exist in a reciprocal relationship, where individual characteristics shape one’s experience of a place, just as a place can shape one’s opportunities for experience (Kearns, 1993).
School bears everyday significance for adolescents, as it is there that young people form identities and knowledge bases, including health knowledge (Coleman et al., 2010). When considering sexual health messages in schools, geographers might say that their lack of effectiveness is determined by the students’ sense of place within their school. Every individual experiences place in a different way from others, and the social and environmental components of a place can influence its impact on a person (Kearns, 1993).
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