This study investigated the impact of sexual education incorporating preconception care on high school students' perceptions. 502 Japanese high school students participated in a cross-sectional study where midwives conducted a 60-90 minute sexual education session. A post-intervention questionnaire, analyzed using text mining (correspondence and cluster analyses), revealed that 50.1% of respondents reported changes in their sexual awareness and thoughts. Students reporting changes also indicated increased awareness of dating violence, sex, and life planning. Conversely, those reporting no change attributed it to the similarity between the current and prior junior high school sexual education. The analyses suggest that incorporating preconception care into sexual education enhances students' awareness, potentially improving reproductive health outcomes and aligning with WHO goals of reducing perinatal and infant mortality rates.

Yumiko Tateoka, Fuyuki Itani