Where do 15- to -17-year-olds in Canada get their sexual health information?

Background: Sexual health education delivered in school, provided by parents, or provided by other formal sources has been associated most closely with increased rates of condom use and improvements in many other sexual risk behaviours. Friends and the internet are other information sources, although quality and accuracy are not always as high. Nationally representative Canadian data about where adolescents obtain their sexual health information are lacking.

Data and methods: Weighted data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth were used to examine the sources typically used to obtain sexual health information by 15- to 17-year-olds, as well as the prevalence and characteristics of adolescents reporting not having an adult to talk with about sexual health and puberty.

Results: Most 15- to 17-year-olds in Canada reported having at least one source of sexual health information (96.6%). More than half identified school (55.6%) and parents or guardians (51.2%) as sources of sexual health information. The internet (45.9%), friends (36.2%), and health care professionals (20.9%) were other common sources. Whereas 61.2% of adolescents identified more than one source of sexual health information, 3.4% reported not having any source. Nearly 15% of adolescents reported not having an adult to talk with about sexual health or puberty. Differences in sources consulted and having an adult to talk with depended on many factors, including sexual attraction and/or gender diversity, sex, immigrant status, racialized status, lower-income status, strength of parent-adolescent relationship, region of residence, and mental health.

Interpretation: An improved understanding of the sources of sexual health information used by adolescents and identification of characteristics associated with adolescents reporting not having an adult to talk with could help develop strategies to improve sexual health outcomes via better access to sexual health promotion and educational resources.