Politics
Friday June 9, 2006
Study: Sex Among Males 15-19 Down 23%
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By Gudrun Schultz
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 9, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Newly released statistics on teenage sexual activity rates in the U.S. show a significant drop of 23 percent in the sexual activity of male teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19.
The research brief, Trends and Recent Estimates: Sexual Activity Among U.S. Teens, is based on statistics compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth.
The results showed that sexual experience among teenagers of all age groups decreased slightly, but among teenage males 15 years and older the decrease was significant. 46 percent of males between the ages of 15 and 19 had experienced sexual intercourse at least once in 2002, a drop from 60 percent in 1988.
Male teenagers consistently report a marginally lower rate of sexual experience than female teenagers, across all categories.
Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse of Concerned Women for America said in response to the NCHS report, “This official data should silence those critics who have been denying the positive trends in teen abstinence and questioning the effectiveness of abstinence programs. We are so happy to see the widespread dissemination of this data.”
Despite the encouraging results shown in the survey, however, it is important to note that the data only show rates of sexual intercourse and do not include the numbers of youth engaging in oral sex. The statistics showed that 16 percent of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17, both male and female, had engaged in oral sex but did not experience sexual intercourse.
If that number is included in the rate of sexual experience among male teenagers between 15 and 19 years, the percentage rate jumps from 46 percent to 62 percent. Additionally, that number does not include male teenagers between the ages of 17 and 19 who may have experienced oral sex but not engaged in sexual intercourse.
The study pointed out that many teenagers do not consider oral sex to be “real” sexual activity, and have little or no understanding of the danger of contracting sexually transmitted diseases through oral sex.
“Teens who engage in promiscuous sexual relations are at a greater risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies,” said Dr. Crouse. “We must keep sending the simple message: what works in delaying teen sexual activity and preventing promiscuity is parental involvement, good friends, strong faith, and participation in church activities.”
View complete study here:
http://www.childtrends.org/files/SexualActivityRB.pdf
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