News & Research Reports
News & Research Reports Related to
Health & Occupational Therapy
Sex Education and Health:
Comprehensive Sex Education Failures
Demonstrated
4/08/04 Salem Radio Network News reported in its 9:00 and
10:00 pm news that a study completed at Nottingham University in
England confirms the ineffectiveness of comprehensive sex education.
Where the strongest sex education programs exist (including condom
distribution and availability of morning after pills) the highest
rates of teen sexual activity and of STD infection were found to
exist. These results confirm the concerns of advocates of abstinence
as the only safe approach to premarital sex. Comprehensive sex
education (emphasizing safe sex, the distribution of contraception as
appropriate alternatives) does indeed tend to increase teen sexual
activity and result in its logical unhealthful results.
Pledges of Virginity Found to be
Effective
The March 31, 2004, 10:00 pm, Salem Radio Network News
indicated that The Heritage Foundation reported a study that teen aged
girls who had taken a virginity pledge were 40% less likely to have
children out of wedlock during their teen years than women who had not
taken a similar pledge.
The study was based on recently released data from the
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Background factors
such as socioeconomic status, religiosity, race and others were held
constant by the analysis methods used to isolate the significance of
the 40% result. The heritage report stated, “This finding strongly
suggests the potential for abstinence education programs to reduce
teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock childbearing”.
The True Love Waits abstinence program was referenced
by the article as being among the abstinence programs responsible for
the reported results.
The Heritage Foundation report was found on their web
site on April 1, 2004, which also referenced data reports available
from addhealth.unc.edu.
Effects of Faith on Health
Improved Cardiac Recovery
SRN News on November 23, 2002 reported results of a Pennsylvania pilot
study conducted in a medical center and with Bucknell University..
People of faith had better response to heart attack and bypass surgery
than other individuals. Researchers expect to broaden the study to
more participants.
Support Groups do NOT extend Life
A study, on the effectiveness of support groups, done in
Great Britain found that life was not extended by participation in
support groups. Salem Radio Network News announced the results in an
October 19, 2002 evening report. Prayer, however, has been found to
increase the length of life of seriously ill patients. See the
presentation of Dana King, MD in the IOTFC Newsletter (vol. 6, #1 2002
Winter), available elsewhere on this site. About the healthful effects
of prayer. SRN, (in its October 20 morning report) indicated that
“positive thinking” makes people feel better but doesn’t lengthen life
for people with serious health problems.
The arguments of those who say that the health
benefits of prayer are due to psychological, emotional or
physiological responses associated with prayer that can be duplicated
by other means are weakened by these findings. This study is certainly
not the definitive answer to end the debate, however, it can be an
encouragement to believing occupational therapists and others working
with patients who know the Lord.
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