Sex education delivered by gynecologists led to significant gains in knowledge and awareness and may have contributed to more positive attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health among male and female students.
Female students were more likely to seek sexual health information from teachers and parents, while male students relied on friends or had limited knowledge.
Awareness of oral contraceptives (OCs) increased after the lecture, with more students recognizing benefits beyond contraception such as relieving menstrual cramps.
There was a marked improvement in understanding of contraceptive methods following the gynecologist-led lecture.
Knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV saw a significant rise, with more correct responses reported after the lecture.
The lecture prompted greater willingness among students to receive the HPV vaccine.
A 1-hour sex education lecture delivered by a gynecologist to junior high school students in Japan produced significant gains in knowledge and awareness of sexual and reproductive health topics.
This research suggests that having medical professionals — specifically gynecologists — deliver sex education to junior high school students in Japan can meaningfully improve what students know about sexual and reproductive health. The study followed nearly 6,000 students across 37 schools before and after a one-hour lecture covering topics like birth control pills, contraception methods, cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccine. After the lecture, students showed better understanding of all these topics, and more students said they would be willing to get the HPV vaccine. The study also found that boys and girls approached sexual health information differently before the lecture: girls tended to get information from teachers and parents, while boys were more likely to rely on friends or have little knowledge at all. This suggests that formal, expert-led education may be especially valuable for reaching students — particularly boys — who otherwise lack reliable sources of information. This research matters because Japan has seen low rates of HPV vaccination and limited formal sex education involving medical professionals. The findings suggest that bringing gynecologists into schools, even for a single structured session, could be an effective way to increase accurate knowledge and encourage healthier attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. The study was limited by its pre-post design without a control group, so longer-term retention of knowledge and actual behavior change were not assessed.
Toyoshima M, Takizawa A, Kubonoya K, Kurose K, Yamaguchi S, Negishi Y, et al.. (2025). The impact of medical expert-led sex education on sexual health knowledge among Japanese junior high school students: a quantitative study.. BMC public health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23201-5