Sexual health education outcomes within Canada’s elementary health education curricula: A summary and analysis

Abstract

There continues to be much concern about Canadian students’ access to sexual health education within their schools’ health education programs. This concern continues in a largely unique national context—one in which health education curricula vary across all territories and provinces. At the same time, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2018) has recently published its updated International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education. These UNESCO guidelines provide key concepts, topics, and technical guidance about sexual health-related topics that are advisable for students in all grades, including for those students in Kindergarten/Primary (K/P) through Grade 6. In this article, we provide a summary and critical analysis of sexual health education outcomes within all of Canada’s elementary health education curricula. This summary and analysis should be of particular relevance to those who share an interest in health education and/or sexual health education, particularly within Canadian and/or other Western schooling contexts.