In 2003 and
2005, 53 percent of U.S. high school students reported never having had sexual
intercourse, up from 46 percent in 1991.[2,3] Between 1991 and
2005, the percentage of U.S. youth that said they never had sex increased in
all high school grades. For example, 33 percent of high school seniors in 1991
said they never had sex, compared to 53 percent in 2003 and 66% in 2005.[2,3]
* Abstinence rates
also increased between 1991 and 2005 by gender and by race/ethnicity. In 1991,
49 percent of high school teenage women said they had never had sex, compared
to 54 percent in 2005; among males, the numbers were 43 and 52 percent,
respectively.[2,3]
* Fifty percent of
white students said they never had sex in 1991, compared to 57 percent in 2005;
among Latino students, the numbers were 47 and 49 percent, respectively; among
African American students, 19 and 32 percent, respectively.[2,3]
* In one study,
only 14 percent of gay, lesbian, and bisexual high school students had never
had sex, compared to 52 percent of their heterosexual peers.[4]
READ MORE ON CONTRACEPTION
· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
· CONTRACEPTION – CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND INFORMATION - General Facts
· Mejorando el acceso de los jóvenes a los métodos anticonceptivos en America Latina
In Many Industrialized Nations, the Typical Age of Sexual
Initiative is Around 17.5
* In the United
States, the typical age at first sexual intercourse is 17.[5]
* In Canada, the
typical age at first sex is 17.3; in Great Britain, it is 17.5.[5]
* In the
Netherlands, the typical age at first sex is 17.7; in France, it is 18.0.[5,6]
Sexually Active Adolescents' Use of Condoms is Up But
Leveling Off
* In U.S. studies,
70 percent of women and 69 percent of men ages 15 to 19 reported condom use at
first sex.[7]
* Among sexually
active U.S. high school youth in 2005, 63 percent reported using a condom
during most recent sex—a significant increase over 1991's 46 percent.[2,3]
* In 1995, fewer
gay, lesbian, and bisexual high school students reported condom use at most
recent sex, compared to their heterosexual peers (51 and 58 percent,
respectively).[4]
* In 2005,
sexually active African American high school students were more likely than
their white or Latino peers to report condom use (69, 63, and 58 percent,
respectively).[2]
* Among sexually
active youth, only about eight percent of female teens and 17 percent of male
teens reported using both condoms and hormonal contraception at most recent
sex.[7]
Some Sexually Active Adolescents Use Other Contraceptive
Methods
* Overall, 18
percent of sexually active high school youth in the United States report use of
birth control pills before most recent sex. Rates vary significantly among
sexually active students by race/ethnicity: 22 percent of whites; 10 percent of
Latinos; and 10 percent of African Americans.[2]
* In one study,
bisexual and lesbian teenage women, although about equally likely to have had
sex as their heterosexual peers, reported more than twice as great the rate of
pregnancy (12 percent versus five percent, respectively).[8]
* Among sexually
experienced U.S. teens, more women reported use of birth control pills before
most recent sex than reported using no method (33 and 20 percent, respectively)
compared to 59 percent and 12 percent of French adolescents, respectively.[5]
In a German study, 73 percent of 14- to 17-year-old women used birth control
pills before most recent intercourse while one percent used no protection.[9]
Youth's Attitudes & Behaviors Reflect Society's Confusion
Around Sexuality
* Pressure from
partners and friends—In one study, eight percent of sexually experienced young
women cited pressure from their partner as a factor in having sex for the first
time; seven percent cited pressure from their friends; among young men, the percentages
were one and 13 percent, respectively.[10]
* Confusion in
defining abstinence—In a study of youth ages 12 to 17 who had abstinence
education, young people's definitions of abstinence included many sexual
behaviors while consistently avoiding only (vaginal) intercourse. In a study of
college freshmen and sophomores, 37 percent described oral sex and 24 percent
described anal sex as abstinent behaviors.[11]
* Virginity
pledges—In a recent study on the effect of virginity pledges, researchers found
that, in early and middle adolescence, pledging delayed the transition to first
sex by as much as 18 months. Pledging only worked where some, but not more than
about one-third, of students pledged. However, when they broke the pledge,
these teens were one-third less likely to use contraception at first sex than
were their non-pledging peers.[12] According to the lead researcher, "If
we consider the enhanced risk of failure to contracept against the benefit of
delay, it turns out that with respect to pregnancy, pledgers are at the same
risk as non-pledgers. There is no long-term benefit to pledging in terms of
pregnancy reduction, unless pledgers use contraception at first
intercourse."[13]
* Lack of
knowledge about effective contraception—In a recent poll, 32 percent of U.S.
teens did not believe condoms were effective in preventing HIV and 22 percent
did not believe that birth control pills were effective in preventing
pregnancy.[14]
* Negative
attitudes about using protection—In the same poll, 66 percent of teens said
they would feel suspicious or worried about their partner's past, if the
partner suggested using a condom; 49 percent would worry that the partner was
suspicious of them; 20 percent would feel insulted.[14]
* Lack of confidentiality—In
a recent study among sexually active women under age 18, 47 percent indicated
that mandatory parental notification would cause them to stop using family
planning services.[15]
* Homophobia and
violence—Significant barriers to protective behaviors among lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender youth, as well as among young men who have sex with
men, include homophobia and violence that damage their self-esteem, lack of
access to health care, homelessness, and substance use.[16]
References
1. Santelli JS et al. Exploring recent
declines in adolescent pregnancy in the United States: the contribution of
abstinence and increased contraceptive use. American Journal of Public Health
2007; 97: 150-156.
2. Eaton DK et al.
Youth risk behavior surveillance, United States, 2005. Morbidity &
Mortality Weekly Report 2006;55(SS-5):1–108.
3. Kann L et al.
Results from the national school-based 1991 youth risk behavior survey and
progress toward achieving related health objectives for the nation. Public
Health Reports 1993; 108 (Supp. 1):47-55.
4. Blake SM et al.
Preventing sexual risk behaviors among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents:
the benefits of gay-sensitive HIV instruction in schools. Am J Public Health
2001; 91:940-46.
5. Darroch JE et
al. Differences in teenage pregnancy rates among five developed countries: the
roles of sexual activity and contraceptive use. Fam Plann Perspect 2001;
33:244-50+.
6. Rademakers J.
Sex Education Research in the Netherlands. Paper presented to the European
Study Tour. Utrecht, Netherlands: NISSO, 2001.
7. Abma JC,
Sonenstein FL. Sexual Activity and Contraceptive Practices among Teenagers in
the United States, 1988 and 1995. [Vital & Health Statistics, series 23,
no. 21] Hyattsville, MD: NCHS, 2001.
8. Saewyc EM et al.
Sexual intercourse, abuse and pregnancy among adolescent women: does sexual
orientation make a difference? Fam Plann Perspect 1999; 31:127-31.
9. Federal Centre
for Health Education. Youth Sexuality 1998: Results of the Current Representative
Survey. Cologne: The Centre, 1998.
10. Kaiser Family
Foundation & YM Magazine. National Survey of Teens: Teens Talk about
Dating, Intimacy, and Their Sexual Experiences. Menlo Park, CA: The Foundation,
1998.
11. Remez L. Oral
sex among adolescents: is it sex or is it abstinence? Fam Plann Perspect 2000;
32:298-304.
12. Bearman PS,
Brückner H. Promising the Future: Virginity Pledges as They Affect Transition
to First Intercourse. New York: Columbia University, 2000.
13. Bearman P. [Letter].
New York: Columbia University, 2002.
14. Henry J. Kaiser
Family Foundation. Safer Sex, Condoms, and "The Pill": A Series of
National Surveys of Teens about Sex. Menlo Park, CA: The Foundation, 2000.
15. Reddy DM et al.
Effect of mandatory parental notification on adolescent girls' use of sexual
health care services. JAMA 2002; 288:710-14.
16. Savin-Williams
RC. Verbal and physical abuse as stressors in the lives of lesbian, gay male,
and bisexual youths: associations with school problems, running away,
prostitution, and suicide. J Consult Clin Psychol 1994; 62:261-69.
READ MORE ON CONTRACEPTION
· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
· CONTRACEPTION – CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND INFORMATION - General Facts
· Mejorando el acceso de los jóvenes a los métodos anticonceptivos en America Latina
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Tags: Topic: Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Topic: Adolescent Sexual Behavior Type: The Facts