The source, accuracy, and impact of initial sexuality information on lifetime wellness

Seven hundred male and female respondents ranging in age from 9 to 73 years, were surveyed. Data were provided for examining the age, source, accuracy, and impact of initial sexuality information on lifetime wellness. Subjects were placed in five chronological age groups for data analysis. Responses from the youngest group, comprised exclusively of students enrolled in schools offering comprehensive school health education, were also utilized to examine program influence. While the age for obtaining sexual knowledge was similar, parents were never reported as the primary information source. Young participants, citing teachers and siblings as their primary information source, achieved the highest accuracy scores. This suggests the value of health education. Accurate sexuality information was reported as extremely important to lifetime wellness, and ignorance was found to have produced guilt and illness in the majority of respondents.