Objective To explore the attitudes and beliefs of parents with different educational levels and children of different genders towards sex education

and to provide references for the improvement of family sex education strategies and behavioral interventions. Methods A total of 254 parents of middle school students in Xiamen were randomly selected as the respondents

and a self-administered questionnaire was used to conduct an anonymous survey. Results 74.8% of the respondents thought that sex information on the Internet media was too widespread

and 87.4% thought that family sex education was very important or relatively important

but 91.8% invested little or no time in family sex education

and only 48.8% and 36.6%

respectively

provided early sex education to their children or took the initiative to follow up with them. 49.6% of the respondents believed that middle school is the best time to start sex education

and 79.5% of the respondents believed that schools are the first choice for sex education. In terms of the content of sex education

59.1% of the respondents believed that middle school students’ need for knowledge about sex includes the concept of intercourse

66.5% of the respondents believed that it includes genital health care

61.8% of the respondents believed that it includes the structure of the body and sexual organs

53.9% of the respondents believed that it includes signs of fertility

and 43.3% of the respondents believed that it includes prevention of sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Respondents with college education or higher were more accepting

deeper and more comprehensive in their understanding of sex education and more involved in family sex education; parents of girls show higher enthusiasm than those of boys in family sex education; fathers were less involved in family sex education. Conclusion Parents have generally recognized the development of sex education

but the percentage of those who actually participate in family sex education is still relatively low. We should strengthen the training of parents on family sexual health education through various channels and means

and guide them to establish the correct concept of sexuality

and enhance their ability and skills in conducting family sexual education.