Saturday, July 19, 2008

Government Stats on Teen Sexual Behavior

This summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System(YRBSS). The YRBSS, surveys high school students and tracks different health risk behaviors, including sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancies and STDs. The YRBSS surveyed more than 14,000 students from across the country. The results for sexual behavior included the following:

· 47.8% of students reported ever having had sexual intercourse (46.8% in 2005)

· 7.1% of students reported having had sex before age 13 (6.2% in 2005)

· 14.9% of students reported having had sex with four or more sexual partners (14.3% in 2005)

· 35.0% of students reported being currently sexually active, defined as having had
sexual intercourse in the three months prior to the survey (33.9% in 2005)

· 61.5% of sexually active students reported that either they or their partner had
used a condom during last sex (62.8% in 2005)

· 89.5 % of students reported having been taught about AIDS or HIV in school (87.9% in 2005)

Since the last YRBSS, conducted two years ago, little positive change has been made relating to teen sexual behavior. Hopefully, this is not the beginning of a trend that can likely be linked to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. If only Washington would wake up and read the research that it's the comprehensive approach that's proven to work.

No comments: