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Sexual intercourse among high school students decreases
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The proportion of high school students who ever had sexual intercourse has decreased over a decade, particularly among non-white and younger students, according to a report by the CDC.
In a study published in MMWR, Kathleen A. Ethier, PhD, of the division of adolescent and school health, national Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, CDC, and colleagues measured trends, including overall and by grade, race/ethnicity and sex, among U.S. high school students. Data from 2005-2015 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBSs) and from 29 states that conduct the YRBS and have weighted data were used.
The authors noted that there had not been a significant change among the proportion of high school students overall who had ever had sexual intercourse between 1995 and 2005, from 53.1% to 46.8%, according to unpublished data from the division of adolescent and school health, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, CDC.
Using the 2005-2015 data, there was a significant linear decrease in the prevalence of ever having sex for all students in 9th to 12th grades, from 46.8% to 41.2%, with significant decreases among 9th and 10th grade students, non-Hispanic black students and Hispanic students in three grades.
Decreases were not seen among 11th and 12th grade students, the authors noted.
“The overall decrease in the prevalence of ever having had sexual intercourse during 2005-2015 is a positive change in sexual risk among adolescents (ie, behaviors that place them at risk for [HIV], STI or pregnancy) in the United States, an overall decrease that did not occur during the preceding 10 years,” Ethier and colleagues wrote. “Further, decreases by grade and race/ethnicity represent positive changes among groups of students who have been determined in previous studies to be at higher risk of negative outcomes associated with early sexual initiation, such as greater number of partners, condom non-use, teen pregnancy and STI. More work is needed to understand the reasons for these increases and to ensure they continue.” – Bruce Thiel
Reference: Ethier KA, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. Jan. 5, 2018.
Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.