REPORT
2003 Youth risk behavior survey
released
Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(news - web sites) (CDC) released Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance —
United States, 2003 (YRBS). This report monitors six categories of
health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults, including sexual
behavior. Overall, trends in sexual behavior among high school students
have been positive over the last 12 years. High school students who have
ever had sexual intercourse declined from 54 percent in 1991 to 47
percent in 2003. Condom use among high school students at last
intercourse increased from 46 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2003.
“The overall decline in sexual activity and increased
condom use among high school students since 1991 is a healthy and
positive trend, but we still have a long way to go,” said Tamara Kreinin,
president and CEO of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of
the U.S. (SIECUS). “Parents, lawmakers, community leaders, and educators
must recommit themselves to giving young people what they want, need,
and deserve — medically accurate, life-saving sexual health information,
communication skills, and relationship skills to help them become
sexually healthy adults,” Kreinin continued. According to the YRBS,
sexual activity among high school students increased 1.1 percent, from
45.6 percent in 2001 to 46.7 percent in 2003. This is the first increase
in sexual activity since 1991. By 12th grade, 61.6 percent of high
school students have had sexual intercourse. Since 1998, federal and
state governments have poured nearly $900 million into
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that are prohibited from
discussing contraception or condoms, and, in fact, may undermine their
use. No program has yet been proven to be effective. President Bush
(news - web sites) is seeking to sink an additional $270 million into
these unproven programs this year alone.
“After almost $1 billion in taxpayer dollars spent on
promoting abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, we are still finding
that over 60 percent of high school seniors have had sexual
intercourse,” “This new data shows that we need to reexamine what and
how we are teaching our children to ensure they have the information and
skills they need to delay sexual intercourse,” Kreinin continued. In
good news, the YRBS showed that condom use among sexually active high
school students has increased from 57.9 percent in 2001 to 63 percent in
2003.
“Increased condom use among sexually active high
school students is excellent news. It reaffirms that young people can
and do make responsible decisions about their sexual health,” said
Kreinin. “Many abstinence-only-until-marriage programs provide
inaccurate and harmful messages designed to undermine condom use, it is
heartening to see that young people are rejecting that message,” Kreinin
continued.
To see the full report, go to
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm
21 May 2004
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=669&ncid=669&e=7&u=/usnw/20040520/pl_usnw/
sexual_activity_and_condom_use_up_among_high_school_studen
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