Theoretical bases for teacher‐ and peer‐delivered sexual health promotion

This paper seeks to explore the theoretical bases for teacher‐delivered and peer‐delivered sexual health promotion and education.

The first section briefly outlines the main theories informing sexual health interventions for young people, and the second discusses their implications for modes of delivery.

Most interventions that claim to be theoretically based draw on social‐psychological cognition theories. Other programmes aim to develop self‐esteem and/or empowerment, while the two main sociological ideas underpinning sexual health programmes are the gendered construction of sexuality and the diffusion of innovations.

More research is necessary to clarify the mechanisms by which sexual health promotion works, which in turn should contribute to more empirically based theory.

If theoretical ideas are to be translated into potentially effective programmes, the specific features of the setting, target group and those delivering the programme must be taken into account.

This paper compares the theoretical justifications for different modes of delivering sexual health promotion, through outreach peer educators, formal school‐based peer educators and teachers.