Sex education in schools not enough: CDC

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Middle school and high school students in the U.S. do not get enough sex education, sexual health and safety information from their schools, according to a new report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Only a fifth of middle schools and fewer than half of high schools in the United States teach students all the recommended sex education topics with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to their report.

There are 16 topics that are recommended by the CDC and it is made with the best interests of teens at heart. The topics are grounded on scientific facts and provide information on frequently asked questions about sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, contraception, lowering infection risk and many more.

The report was taken from surveys of schools across the US and based from last year's School Health Profiles, CBS News reports.

New Jersey high schools have the highest rate of compliance for all 16 topics at 90 percent. Other states that have compliance rates that are more than 75 percent are New York and New Hampshire. Most high schools in some of the states have not taught the recommended sex ed topics.

Middle schools are even less educated as most states only have less than 20 percent that have taught students.

"We need to do a better job of giving our young people the skills and knowledge they need to protect their own health," said CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention's director, Dr. Jonathan Merman. "It's important to teach students about healthy relationships and how to reduce sexual risk before they start to have sex."

The country's health experts are worried about the numbers as adolescents and young adults face sexual health problems that are completely avoidable due to lack of information. The outlet states that nearly a fourth of HIV patients and half of those diagnosed with STD in the US are teenagers and young adults under 25.

"Lack of effective sex education can have very real, very serious health consequences," said Dr. Stephanie Zaza, CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health Director, in a press release. "Young people who have multiple sex partners, don't use condoms, and use drugs or alcohol before sex is at higher risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. School-based sex education is a critical opportunity to provide the skills and information they need to protect themselves."