The effect of web-based sexual education and counseling provided to adolescents on attitudes toward sexual education and level of sexual health knowledge

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the effect of web-based sexual education and counseling on adolescents' attitudes toward sexual education and their level of sexual health knowledge. Materials and methods: This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial with a pretest–posttest design. The population consisted of 11th-grade adolescents attending two public high schools in the city center of Siirt, Türkiye. The sample included 191 adolescents who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected between December 2024 and June 2025 using the Personal Information Form, ASTSE, and SHKT. Adolescents in the intervention group received video-based sexual education and counseling through a study-specific website for eight weeks. The SHKT posttest was administered eight weeks after the pretest, and the ASTSE posttest was administered 12 weeks after the pretest in both groups. Results: The mean ASTSE posttest scores of adolescents in the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group, indicating more positive attitudes toward sexual education (p<0.001). In addition, the mean scores of the views on sexual health and views on the benefits of sexual education subscales of the ASTSE were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (p=0.001). The mean SHKT posttest scores of adolescents in the intervention group were also significantly higher than those of the control group, demonstrating an increase in sexual health knowledge levels (p<0.001). Conclusion: Web-based sexual education and counseling improved adolescents' attitudes toward sexual education and increased their sexual health knowledge levels.