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Sexually Active Teens
Headline Non-Hispanic black students are more likely than Hispanic students, and non-Hispanic white students to report having sexual intercourse in the previous three months (47 percent versus 35 percent and 32 percent, respectively). (See Table 1) Sexually active teenagers are at an immediate risk of becoming pregnant and/or of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Young sexually active teens are much less likely than older teens to use contraception consistently; however, the vast majority of pregnancies to all teens are unintended.1 Data from 2002 shows that 88 percent of pregnancies teens 17 or younger were unintended.2 Teen pregnancy rates, birth rates, and rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. are among the highest in the industrialized world.3 The best way to prevent unplanned pregnancies and STIs is abstinence (either never having sex or discontinuing sexual activity).4 Adolescents who delay their first sexual experience are less likely to regret the timing of their first experience, have fewer sexual partners, and are less likely to be involved in unhealthy sexual relationships. However, among sexually active teenagers, consistent and effective contraceptive use is necessary to avoid unwanted pregnancies and STIs. The percentage of high school students who have had sexual intercourse in the past three months (are sexually active) has fluctuated only slightly since 1991, ranging from 33 percent to 38 percent, with 34 percent of high school students reporting being sexually active in 2005. Among non-Hispanic black students, however, the percentage of sexually active students decreased from 59 percent in 1991 to a low of 46 percent in 2001. Currently in 2005, 47 percent of non-Hispanic black students report being sexually active 5 (See Table 1) Differences by Gender Roughly a third of both male and female high school students reported being sexually active in 2005. Black non-Hispanic males were more likely than female students to be sexually active (51 percent versus 44 percent, respectively, in 2005. (See Figure 2) No significant difference by gender existed for other racial and ethnic groups. Differences by Race and Ethnicity5 Non-Hispanic black high school students are much more likely than Hispanic and white non-Hispanic students to be sexually active (47 percent compared with 35 percent and 32 percent, respectively, in 2005). (See Figure 2). This pattern holds among both male and female students. This represents a decline from 1991, though, when non-Hispanic black students were nearly twice as likely as other students to report being sexual active. (See Table 1) Differences by Grade The likelihood of being sexually active increases with age. In 2005, 22 percent of ninth grade students were sexually active, compared with 49 percent of twelfth grade students. Differences by grade are evident among both male and female students. (See Figure 1)
Sexually Experienced Teens, Condom Use, Birth Control Pill Use, Teen Birth, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Abortion 2005 estimates of sexual activity among high school students (Grades 9-12) are available for selected states and cities by gender from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), Table 46 at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5505a1.htm International Estimates
International estimates can be found from UNICEF's research center at: Although Healthy People 2010 does not address sexually active teenagers specifically, numerous goals are set that would indirectly lower the percent of teens who are sexually active, including the goal of reducing the percentage of teenagers who are sexually experienced before age 15, as well as the percentage of teenagers aged 15 to 17 who have ever had sexual intercourse.3 More information is available at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/html/objectives/09-08.htm (See goals 9-8 and 9-9) What Works: Programs and interventions that May Influence this Indicator Click here to view examples of programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator. View programs 1Abma, J. C., Martinez, G. M., Mosher, W. D., & Dawson, B. S. (2004). Teenagers in the United States: Sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, 2002. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.. 2Abma, J. C 3Terry-Humen, E., Manlove, J., and Cottingham, S. (2006). Trends and Recent Estimates: Sexual Activity Among US Teens. Child Trends Research Brief. http://www.childtrends.org/files/SexualActivityRB.pdf 4American Social Health Association. "Learn About STDs/STIs." 5Race/ethnicity estimates from 1999 and later are not directly comparable to earlier years due to federal changes in race definitions. In surveys conducted in 1999 and later, respondents were allowed to select more than one race when selecting their racial category. Estimates presented here only include respondents who selected one category when choosing their race. 6U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000. Students who are sexually active are those students who reported having had sexual intercourse in the three months preceding the survey. Thus, it is possible for a student to have had sexual intercourse but not be sexually active. Data Source
Data for 1991: YRBSS: Youth Online, Comprehensive Results. Retrieved May 24, 2004 from URL: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/.
Raw Data Source
Youth Risk Behavior Survey Approximate Date of Next Update Summer 2008
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