Abstract

Introduction: Sex education is one of the basic pillars of human development because it enhances people’s autonomy and the development of full sexuality. Objective: This study sought to describe the perception regarding sex education of adolescents from two educational establishments in Talcahuano, Chile. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 309 students from two schools located in the Talcahuano Commune, Bío-Bío region, Chile. A self-report questionnaire was applied in person. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistics SPSS v.22 software. Results: 61.8% reported receiving sex education in their establishment and almost all considered it necessary to learn about it. 52.7% reported that their establishments generated instances to talk about sexuality. In relation to the topics that should be included in sex education, “Values, respect, ethics”,“Contraceptives and prevention of sexually transmitted infections”and“Love and affectivity”were the most preferred. Conclusion: Despite the existence of instances of sex education in educational establishments, and the transversal opinion that it is necessary to learn about this subject, there is a low perception regarding its adequacy.