One result is that boys often pretend they know a great deal about sex, whereas they are frequently uninformed or misinformed. In surveys in fifteen cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, fewer than a quarter of young men between fifteen and twenty-four years old could identify the female fertile period. Sexual health education for boys and young men calls for trained and sensitive staff who can listen carefully and deal with their sometimes aggressive energy. Apart from information and skills concerning safer sex, boys need opportunities to discuss their concerns related to sexuality, including potency, masturbation or penis size. Above all, with support to teachers, schools can become prime locations for education about sexuality, AIDS and life-skills that can help boys avoid endangering themselves and their partners.
Some clinics offer special hours for boys and young men.
Some programmes seek to connect boys with adult men who can serve as positive role models, while others hire and train young men to work as peer health promoters. Recognizing boys' many interconnected needs, most of the programmes surveyed work simultaneously in general health promotion, vocational training, counselling, educational support and the prevention of violence and substance use.