A CONTROVERSIAL Government-backed sex education programme has had only "limited impact" on the behaviour of teenagers, a report has found.
The study, led by Professor Lawrie Elliot, of Edinburgh Napier University, called for a new approach to improving sexual health.
It looked at the impact of Healthy Respect, an NHS-run programme that attracted controversy because it provided condoms to teenagers.
Despite strongly promoting safe sex over a five-year period, the scheme did not increase boys' or girls' willingness to use condoms, the study found. It also failed to stop girls becoming "more tolerant of sexual coercion", meaning they agreed to have sex with a partner when they did not want to.
The findings emerged after a £670,000 NHS commissioned investigation, which interviewed more than 5000 Scots teenagers.
Mr Elliot 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.
"It would be wrong to conclude that interventions like Healthy Respect should be abandoned. However, instead of focusing on single health topics like sex, alcohol, smoking or obesity we arguably need to be doing something that fundamentally changes young people and builds their communication skills, self-confidence and self worth."
The original Healthy Respect scheme closed in 2008 and was replaced by a mainstream service with the same name.
Dona Milne, Deputy Ddirector of public health at NHS Lothian, said: "Our service facilitates partnership working through the Healthy Respect partners' network, which includes statutory and voluntary agencies. It also co-ordinates a network of young people's drop-ins which continues to grow with services tailored towards young people."
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