Youth today are more sexually active than in the past.

Hawaii statistics show that more than 10 percent of middle-school students have had sexual intercourse; only nine states have higher rates of teen pregnancy; and many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are contracted between the ages of 15-24.

In addition, sexually active youth in Hawaii are less likely than youth nationally to use pregnancy and STI prevention methods such as condoms.

These startling facts testify to the need to educate our youth about health and basic human biology, in a culturally sensitive way.

In 2010 the University of Hawaii collaborated with community agencies and Hawaii’s Department of Education (DOE) to develop Pono Choices, a culturally responsive and inclusive teen pregnancy and STI prevention curriculum. It provides youth ages 11-13 with medically accurate information in a cultural and place-based framework. It empowers youth to make informed choices about their sexual health, and teaches that abstinence is the only guaranteed way to prevent a pregnancy or an STI. The lessons convey knowledge and skills that prepare youth to identify behaviors that would put them at risk of an unintended pregnancy or STI, including HIV.

One of the core messages is that it is not who you are that puts you at risk, it is what you do.

Pono Choices incorporates developmentally appropriate middle-school content aligned with DOE policy and health education state law. The curriculum is scripted, 9.5 hours, and includes 10 lessons that cover abstinence, STIs, birth control methods, refusal skills (how to refuse unwanted sexual pressure), decision-making, goal setting, recognizing types of relationships (healthy, unhealthy, and abusive), and reproductive anatomy and puberty. The concept of making "pono" or "right" choices is emphasized throughout the program.

Parents have a choice about their child’s participation in the curriculum. They can decide whether or not their child will remain in the classroom while Pono Choices is taught. DOE policy specifies that sexual health programs shall help students remain abstinent, help sexually active students abstain from further sexual activity, and "provide youth with information on and skill development in the use of protective devices and methods for the purpose of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy."

Pono Choices addresses all three of these directives so that students in these situations are provided relevant, medically accurate information.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic resulted in a better understanding of how STIs are spread, and both DOE policy and health education state law were prudently and thoughtfully updated to integrate the most current information available about pregnancy and STI prevention. Implementing health education state law and DOE policy means we need to teach youth that you can get an STI from anyone, regardless of their gender and your gender. To convey otherwise would be medically inaccurate.

We can all take pride in the fact that Pono Choices is locally developed and has been reviewed by the federal Office of Adolescent Health for medical accuracy and age appropriateness. We can also take pride in DOE policy and health education state law, which promote comprehensive and medically accurate curricula. Most important, we are educating our youth to recognize the behaviors that put them at risk for unintended pregnancy and STIs, and providing the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves.