title: [Benefit of network education to college students' knowledge about sexual and reproductive health in Ningbo city].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how network education can improve college students' knowledge on sexual and reproductive health in Ningbo city.
  
  
  METHODS
  From December 2012 to June 2013, we conducted a questionnaire investigation among college students in Ningbo city about the effects of network education on their knowledge about sexual psychology, sexual physiology, sexual ethics, and reproductive health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 7 362 college students accomplished the investigation, of whom 2 483 (42.1% males and 57.9% females) received network education, while the other 4 879 (24.1% males and 75.9% females) did not. Approximately 47.1% of the male and 28.0% of the female students acquired sexual and reproductive knowledge via network education. Reproductive health-related network education significantly enriched the students' knowledge about the reproductive system and sex, pubertal development, sexual physiology, conception and embryonic development, methods of contraception, sexual psychology, sexually transmitted diseases and their prevention, pregnancy care and eugenics, and environment- and occupation-related reproductive health (P < 0.01). It also remarkably improved their cognitive attitude towards reproductive health knowledge (P < 0.01). Those who received reproductive health-related network education showed a significantly higher rate of masturbation (P < 0.01) but markedly later time of the first masturbation (P < 0.01) than those who did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Network education can enhance the effect of reproductive health education among college students and improve their sexual experience and health.
authors.forename: Guo-yao
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yun-xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Hui-qing
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Zhong-bao
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.forename: Xiao-ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jian-fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003267:Contraception; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008418:Masturbation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction; D060728:Reproductive Health; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities