PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION | Decline in Teen Sex, Increase in Condom Use Level Off, CDC Study Says
[June 5, 2008]

A 10-year decline in the percentage of teenagers having sex leveled off between 2001 and 2007, while an increase in condom use among sexually active teens leveled off in 2003, according to a CDC study released Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the survey also found "disturbing hints" that the teen sex rate is increasing and that condom use rate is decreasing, but officials said that the "trend lines have not yet reached a point where statisticians can be sure."

The study collected data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which CDC conducts every two years to track risky behavior among teens. The 2007 survey involved 14,103 students in grades nine through 12 at 157 high schools nationwide (Stein, Washington Post, 6/5). According to the study, 47.8% of teens surveyed in 2007 said they had engaged in sexual intercourse, compared with 46.8% in 2005, 46.7% in 2003 and 45.6% in 2001. Among sexually active teens, 61.5% reported using a condom during their most recent intercourse, down from 62.8% in 2005 and 63% in 2003 (Li, New York Post, 6/5).

The survey also found an increase from 2005 to 2007 in the percentage of teens having sex before age 13, the percentage of teens who had sex within the three months of being surveyed and the percentage of teens who had four or more partners. According to the Washington Post, none of the increases were large enough to convince researchers that there is an upward trend in teen sexual activity. Some experts noted that because the study was conducted only among teens attending school, it could underestimate the level of sexual activity and overestimate condom use.

Racial, Ethnic Disparities

The study found that 66% of black students surveyed in 2007 reported having had sexual intercourse, down from 82% in 1991 (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 6/4). The percentage of sexually active black students who have had four or more sex partners decreased from 43% in 1991 to 28% in 2007 (Dunham, Reuters, 6/4). Black teens were four times as likely as white teens and twice as likely as Hispanic teens to have sex before age 13 (AFP/Google.com, 6/4).

Among white students, 44% in the 2007 survey reported having had sex, compared with about 50% in 1991. The percentage of white students who have had four or more partners decreased from 15% in 1991 to 12% in 2007, the study found.

The percentage of Hispanic students who had sex decreased slightly from 53% in 1991 to 52% in 2007, while the percentage of Hispanic students who had four or more partners was 17% in both 1991 and 2007, according to the study (CQ HealthBeat, 6/4).

Comments

Howell Wechsler, director of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health, said the "bottom line" of the study is that health officials "don't seem to be making the progress we were making before" in measures of teen sexual activity. "There's no reason for panic, but there is reason for concern," he added (Washington Post, 6/5).

Sonia Perez, senior vice president of the National Council of La Raza, said the lack of significant improvement among Hispanic students could be attributed to poverty, having less-educated parents than other students and "overcrowded schools that offer less-quality education" (Narancio, Miami Herald, 6/5). Wechsler said, "It's extremely important that our schools and community programs understand and address the health-related needs of our Hispanic students" (Reuters, 6/4).

According to the Post, the study "renewed the heated debate" over abstinence-only sex education programs. "Since we've started pushing abstinence, we have seen no change in the numbers on sexual activity," John Santelli, chair of the department of population and family health at Columbia University, said. He added, "Abstinence education spends a good amount of time bashing condoms. So it's not surprising, if that's the message young people are getting, that we're seeing condom use start to decrease" (Washington Post, 6/5). Wechsler noted that the decrease in condom use could be in part because of a complacency about HIV/AIDS (New York Post, 6/5).

Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, said comprehensive sex education programs have contributed to the leveling of teen sexual activity. "Contraceptive sex education does not provide practical skills for maintaining or regaining abstinence but typically gives teens a green light to activity that puts them at great risk for acquiring [sexually transmitted infections] or which serve as gateway-to-intercourse activities," Huber said (Washington Post, 6/5).

The full 2007 survey, a CDC release (.pdf) and fact sheets including trends from previous Youth Risk Behavior Surveys are available online.

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Thursday reported on the survey. The segment includes comments from a group of teenage students and their teacher; Glenn Flores, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas-Southwestern; and Advocates for Youth President James Wagoner (Aubrey, "Morning Edition," NPR, 6/5).





The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

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