Sexual & Relationship Health News Post Archives - Page 2 of 4

Offering Comprehensive Sex Education with Media Aware – High School

Elizabeth Porter2024-02-07T16:08:32+00:00

February 07, 2024, Durham, NC – To address the need for comprehensive sex education for adolescents in the United States, iRT developed Media Aware – High School, a self-paced, web-based, multimedia course designed to provide high school students with medically-accurate information on a variety of sexual health topics. Through a series of four multi-part lessons, students receive information on foundational sex education topics, including STI prevention and testing, sexual assault, consent, and birth control methods, as well as relevant, inclusive topics that are often left out of school-based sex education, including how substance use affects sexual decisions and behavior; gender role [...]

Offering Comprehensive Sex Education with Media Aware – High SchoolElizabeth Porter2024-02-07T16:08:32+00:00

Filling the Gaps in High School Sex Education in the United States

Elizabeth Porter2024-01-19T20:24:30+00:00

January 18, 2024, Durham, NC – Providing high-quality, comprehensive sex education to high school students is an important part of supporting healthy sexual development and decision-making in adolescents. During adolescence, youth often begin or continue forming beliefs about sex and relationships, making decisions about their own sexual health and romantic relationships, and developing a healthy sexuality. When equipped with high-quality sexual health resources and knowledge, high school students may be able to make healthier decisions and form healthy beliefs about their sexual health. Research has shown that comprehensive school-based sex education may reduce teenage pregnancy rates and increase safe sex behaviors [...]

Filling the Gaps in High School Sex Education in the United StatesElizabeth Porter2024-01-19T20:24:30+00:00

iRT Researchers Present Findings from iRT’s Sexual Health and Media Literacy Education Research

Elizabeth Porter2023-12-19T19:55:34+00:00

December 19, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Christina Dodson and Reina Evans-Paulson presented at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s (SSSS) conference last month in New Orleans, Louisiana to discuss some of iRT’s research related to sexual health and media literacy education. Every year, SSSS hosts sexual health researchers and professionals interested in the sexual sciences to discuss recent research and issues related to sexuality and sexual health. Examining Resources to Address Sexual Health at Community Colleges At this year’s conference, Dr. Dodson gave an oral presentation entitled A Qualitative Study Examining Resources to Address Sexual [...]

iRT Researchers Present Findings from iRT’s Sexual Health and Media Literacy Education ResearchElizabeth Porter2023-12-19T19:55:34+00:00

iRT to Present at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s Annual Conference

Elizabeth Porter2023-11-15T14:36:53+00:00

October 31, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Christina Dodson and Reina Evans-Paulson will present at the 2023 meeting of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s (SSSS) annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this November. Each year, SSSS invites professionals who conduct sexual research, who are interested in issues relating to sexuality, or whose work relates to sexual science to gather for networking opportunities, workshops, symposia, and presentations to share recent findings in sexual research and discuss topics related to sexuality. Dodson and Evans-Paulson will attend this year’s conference, which will be held November 16-19, 2023, to [...]

iRT to Present at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality’s Annual ConferenceElizabeth Porter2023-11-15T14:36:53+00:00

iRT Researchers Present on the Importance of Media Literacy Education-Based Sex Education Programs for the ECHO@edu Program

Elizabeth Porter2023-09-25T13:52:12+00:00

September 25, 2023, Durham, NC – Research has shown that comprehensive, inclusive, medically-accurate sex education can positively impact youth and young adults’ decisions about their sexual health, beliefs about relationships, and attitudes towards sexual violence. However, some middle school and high school students receive inaccurate or incomplete sex education, and others may not receive sex education at all. The gaps in standardized middle and high school sex education highlight an important opportunity for colleges to offer comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education to students, so young adults can make more informed decisions about their sexual health and foster healthy relationships. This topic was [...]

iRT Researchers Present on the Importance of Media Literacy Education-Based Sex Education Programs for the ECHO@edu ProgramElizabeth Porter2023-09-25T13:52:12+00:00

New Research Published on the Protective Influence of Critical Media Attitudes on Adolescent Sexual and Relationship Health

Elizabeth Porter2023-08-30T14:35:45+00:00

August 30, 2023, Durham, NC – As online pornography platforms become more accessible, adolescents are more regularly exposed to sexually explicit material, and at increasingly younger ages. Pornography often depicts male-perpetrated physical aggression paired with sexual activity, and studies have shown that adolescent pornography use is associated with adherence to traditional gender role norms, beliefs in notions of women as sex objects, and acceptance of dating and sexual violence. Given that these harmful beliefs may impact adolescents’ current and future sexual and relationship behaviors, and contribute to dating violence and sexual assault perpetration, it is important to understand how adolescents can [...]

New Research Published on the Protective Influence of Critical Media Attitudes on Adolescent Sexual and Relationship HealthElizabeth Porter2023-08-30T14:35:45+00:00

iRT Researchers to Present for the ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention Program

Elizabeth Porter2023-07-19T12:56:13+00:00

July 19, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Reina Evans-Paulson and Christina Dodson will lead an interactive Zoom session for the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance’s ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention program on August 10, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The ECHO program is an international evidence-based model for training and peer-to-peer learning. The Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance invites staff at colleges, universities, and community colleges to join to discuss best practices in sexual and intimate partner violence primary prevention and new developments in peer education programs. Evans-Paulson and Dodson will present a session entitled [...]

iRT Researchers to Present for the ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention ProgramElizabeth Porter2023-07-19T12:56:13+00:00

iRT Welcomes 2023 Summer Public Health Interns

Elizabeth Porter2023-05-24T18:19:40+00:00

May 24, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT welcomes two new public health summer interns to iRT’s team of world-renowned scientists and creative professionals. Kylia Ahuna and Micaela Brewington bring a wealth of experience to iRT as the newest members of the Community College Health Study team. While community college students make up nearly half of all U.S. undergraduates, they are often overlooked by research and underserved by sexual health education resources. The Community College Health Study intends to change that. iRT’s team has recruited over 2,000 students in collaboration with 30 colleges across the U.S. to better understand the sexual and [...]

iRT Welcomes 2023 Summer Public Health InternsElizabeth Porter2023-05-24T18:19:40+00:00

iRT Researcher Contributes to Meta-Analysis of Studies on Adolescent Sexual Health

Elizabeth Porter2022-12-30T19:03:09+00:00

December 30, 2022, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientist Dr. Reina Evans-Paulson is consulting on a grant awarded to North Carolina State University to conduct a meta-analysis on predictors of adolescent condom use. Condoms are the most accessible, cost-effective protection against transmission of STDs and HIV for sexually active adolescents, and they are an effective method of pregnancy prevention for youth. Unfortunately, research has shown that only 54% of U.S. adolescents used a condom the last time they had sex. It is critical that we understand the factors that most strongly predict condom use so that they can be targeted in [...]

iRT Researcher Contributes to Meta-Analysis of Studies on Adolescent Sexual HealthElizabeth Porter2022-12-30T19:03:09+00:00

iRT Scientists Present at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Conference

IRT Inc2022-01-28T15:55:10+00:00

iRT scientists, Drs. Tracy Scull, Christina Dodson, and Reina Evans-Paulson, presented a symposium entitled, Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health In The Digital Age Through Media Literacy And Sexual Communication, at the most recent Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2021. Their symposium featured a review of research on the relationship between media and adolescent sexuality as well as the benefits of media literacy education on adolescent sexual and relationship health. They were joined in the symposium by co-authors Dr. Laura Widman and Hannah Javidi from the Teen Health Lab at NC State [...]

iRT Scientists Present at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality ConferenceIRT Inc2022-01-28T15:55:10+00:00