A controversial taxpayer funded sex education programme in Scotland has had a “limited impact” on teenage behaviour, a new study has found.
Research from Edinburgh Napier University found that the NHS-run “Healthy Respect” scheme, which provided condoms to teenagers, did not increase their willingness to use them.
Professor Lawrie Elliott, who led the study, said: “Poorer young people made more use of sexual health services, but this didn’t translate into behaviour change. Sexual inequalities remained, particularly among girls.”
Evidence
He also said the new study showed some evidence of girls agreeing to have sex with a partner when they did not want to.
The Healthy Respect scheme has repeatedly been labelled a failure since it was first introduced in 2001.
Reports showed it had achieved little success, and by 2005 teenage pregnancies in some areas had actually increased.
Failure
The first programme was closed in 2008, having been deemed a failure by academics three years previously.
It was replaced with a scheme called “Healthy Respect Two” which came under fire in 2010 for having had “limited beneficial impact”.
More than 5000 Scottish teenagers from across the socio-economic divide took part in NHS-commissioned research.
This comes as a group of NHS experts has called on the Scottish Government to allow the morning-after pill to be given out in schools.