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MEXICO CITY — Some of the favorable trends in sexual risk behaviors achieved among U.S. adolescents in recent decades appear to be stalling, particularly in certain subgroups, according to a study reported at the International AIDS Conference.
“The purpose of this study was to examine changes in sexual risk behaviors among high school students” in the United States from 1991 to 2007, said lead author Laura Kann, Ph.D., an investigator with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
She and colleagues analyzed data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial survey that measures levels of priority health risk behaviors among nationally representative samples of public and private school students primarily aged 14–17 years. The questionnaires are anonymous, voluntary, and self-administered.
“To identify possible disparities and secular trends, we looked at five subgroups of students,” Dr. Kann explained: female, male, white, black, and Hispanic. The number of adolescents sampled for each of the 9 survey years ranged from 10,904 to 16,296.
Results indicated that the percentage of adolescents who reported that they had ever had sex decreased significantly between 1991 and 2007 overall (from 54% to 48%), as well as among the female, male, white, and black subgroups individually, Dr. Kann reported. However, further analysis showed that the downward trend actually ended among males in 1997 and among blacks in 2001. Moreover, there was no change in this behavior among Hispanic adolescents.
The percentage of adolescents who had had sex with at least four partners also fell significantly, both overall (from 19% to 15%) and among female, male, white, and black adolescents individually. But the prevalence of this behavior ceased falling among males in 1997, and again, there was no change among Hispanic teens.
The prevalence of current sexual activity declined significantly among the study population as a whole (from 38% to 35%) and also among black adolescents, according to Dr. Kann. In contrast, it remained constant among all of the other subgroups.
Finally, the percentage of sexually active adolescents who used a condom at last intercourse increased significantly during the study period (from 46% to 62%), but further analysis showed no change from 2003 onward. Dr. Kann reported that she had no conflicts of interest.
MEXICO CITY — Some of the favorable trends in sexual risk behaviors achieved among U.S. adolescents in recent decades appear to be stalling, particularly in certain subgroups, according to a study reported at the International AIDS Conference.
“The purpose of this study was to examine changes in sexual risk behaviors among high school students” in the United States from 1991 to 2007, said lead author Laura Kann, Ph.D., an investigator with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
She and colleagues analyzed data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial survey that measures levels of priority health risk behaviors among nationally representative samples of public and private school students primarily aged 14–17 years. The questionnaires are anonymous, voluntary, and self-administered.
“To identify possible disparities and secular trends, we looked at five subgroups of students,” Dr. Kann explained: female, male, white, black, and Hispanic. The number of adolescents sampled for each of the 9 survey years ranged from 10,904 to 16,296.
Results indicated that the percentage of adolescents who reported that they had ever had sex decreased significantly between 1991 and 2007 overall (from 54% to 48%), as well as among the female, male, white, and black subgroups individually, Dr. Kann reported. However, further analysis showed that the downward trend actually ended among males in 1997 and among blacks in 2001. Moreover, there was no change in this behavior among Hispanic adolescents.
The percentage of adolescents who had had sex with at least four partners also fell significantly, both overall (from 19% to 15%) and among female, male, white, and black adolescents individually. But the prevalence of this behavior ceased falling among males in 1997, and again, there was no change among Hispanic teens.
The prevalence of current sexual activity declined significantly among the study population as a whole (from 38% to 35%) and also among black adolescents, according to Dr. Kann. In contrast, it remained constant among all of the other subgroups.
Finally, the percentage of sexually active adolescents who used a condom at last intercourse increased significantly during the study period (from 46% to 62%), but further analysis showed no change from 2003 onward. Dr. Kann reported that she had no conflicts of interest.
MEXICO CITY — Some of the favorable trends in sexual risk behaviors achieved among U.S. adolescents in recent decades appear to be stalling, particularly in certain subgroups, according to a study reported at the International AIDS Conference.
“The purpose of this study was to examine changes in sexual risk behaviors among high school students” in the United States from 1991 to 2007, said lead author Laura Kann, Ph.D., an investigator with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
She and colleagues analyzed data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial survey that measures levels of priority health risk behaviors among nationally representative samples of public and private school students primarily aged 14–17 years. The questionnaires are anonymous, voluntary, and self-administered.
“To identify possible disparities and secular trends, we looked at five subgroups of students,” Dr. Kann explained: female, male, white, black, and Hispanic. The number of adolescents sampled for each of the 9 survey years ranged from 10,904 to 16,296.
Results indicated that the percentage of adolescents who reported that they had ever had sex decreased significantly between 1991 and 2007 overall (from 54% to 48%), as well as among the female, male, white, and black subgroups individually, Dr. Kann reported. However, further analysis showed that the downward trend actually ended among males in 1997 and among blacks in 2001. Moreover, there was no change in this behavior among Hispanic adolescents.
The percentage of adolescents who had had sex with at least four partners also fell significantly, both overall (from 19% to 15%) and among female, male, white, and black adolescents individually. But the prevalence of this behavior ceased falling among males in 1997, and again, there was no change among Hispanic teens.
The prevalence of current sexual activity declined significantly among the study population as a whole (from 38% to 35%) and also among black adolescents, according to Dr. Kann. In contrast, it remained constant among all of the other subgroups.
Finally, the percentage of sexually active adolescents who used a condom at last intercourse increased significantly during the study period (from 46% to 62%), but further analysis showed no change from 2003 onward. Dr. Kann reported that she had no conflicts of interest.