Abstinence

While the source of sex education did not affect the content of adolescent sexual knowledge, differences in source correlated with differences in adolescent attitudes. Sex education from peers and professional educators, compared with sex education from parents, tended to foster more liberal sexual attitudes.   Cheryl L. Somers and Jamie H. Gleason, "Does Source of Sex Education Predict Adolescents' Sexual Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors?" EducatioN 121, 4 (Summer 2001):  674-681.

When teens receive close supervision, which is more easily accomplished when teens live in two-parent homes (mothers at home supervising after school behavior), teens are more likely to postpone sexual activity.  Kristin A. Moore et al., “Adolescent Sex, Contraception and Childbearing:  A Review of Recent Research, “ (Washington DC:  Child Trends, June 1995)

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health concluded that some of the most important factors in keeping teens out of trouble were a sense of connectedness with parents, a sense of connectedness with an adult figure at school, such as a teacher or counselor who expresses care and concern for them, and the perception that parents disapproved of them having sex, even with contraception.   “Add Health Study,” National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1997.

Condom Effectiveness:

Condoms, even when used correctly and consistently (100 percent of the time), failed to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus 15 percent of the time.  Condom use offers relatively little protection (from “zero” to “some”) for herpes and no protection from HPV.    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, “Summary,” Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention, July 20, 2001, at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf. 

Condoms failed to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus between 15 percent and 31 percent of the time.    Susan Weller, “A Meta-Analysis of Condom Effectiveness in Reducing Sexually Transmitted HIV,” Social Science and Medicine 36, 12 1993).

Among adults who always use condoms, there remains a 50 percent to 71 percent relative risk of syphilis infection.  Jared M. Baeten et al., “Hormonal Contraception and Risk of Sexually Transmitted Disease:  Results from a Prospective Study,” American Journal of Obstetric and Gynecology 183 (2001):  380-385.  Saidfuddin Ahmed et al., “HIV Incidence and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevalence Associated with Condom Use:  A Population Study in Rakai, Uganda,”  AIDS 15 (2001):  2171-2179.

Among adults who always use condoms, gonorrhea and  chlamydia transmission is reduced by approximately 50 percent.  Jared M. Baeten et al., “Hormonal Contraception and Risk of Sexually Transmitted Disease:  Results from a Prospective Study,” American Journal of Obstetric and Gynecology 183 (2001):  380-385.  Saidfuddin Ahmed et al., “HIV Incidence and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevalence Associated with Condom Use:  A Population Study in Rakai, Uganda,”  AIDS 15 (2001):  2171-2179.

Trichomonas vaginallis sexual transmission is not reduced even with 100 percent condom use.    Saidfuddin Ahmed et al., “HIV Incidence and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevalence Associated with Condom Use:  A Population Study in Rakai, Uganda,”  AIDS 15 (2001):  2171-2179, Workshop Summary:  Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention. July 20, 2001.  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.  Available at:  http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf.

Planned Parenthood’s Allan Guttmacher Institute states that in the prevention of pregnancy, condoms will fail 25.8 percent of the time when used by children under the age of 18.  Ranjit, Bankole, Darroch and Singh.  “Contraceptive Failure in the First Two Years of Use:  Differences Across Socioeconomic Subgroups.” Family Planning Perspectives 33, 1 (2001):  25. 

Planned Parenthood’s Alan Guttmacher Institute reported on 10,000 women getting abortions. Of these, 57.5% said they were using a contraceptive the month they became pregnant. In a similar study in 1987 the figure was 51.3%. The highest percent was in teenagers. S. Henshaw, Family Planning Perspectives 28, 4 (July/Aug. 1996).

There are more than 25 widespread STDs, many of which are viral with no cure.  In the 1960’s there were two—syphilis and gonorrhea.   T. R. Eng and W.T. Butler, eds. The Hidden Epidemic:  Confronting Sexually Transmitted Disease. Institute of Medicine, Washington, DC:  National Academy Press; 1997; Shepherd Smith and Joe S. McIlhaney, MD, “Statement of Dissent on the Surgeon General’s Call of Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior,” issued by the Medical Institute of Sexual Health, Austin Texas, June 28, 2001, and American Social Health Association, Research Triangle Park, N.C., “STD Statistics,” at http://www.ashastd.org/stdfaqs/statistics.html

Most STDs have no symptoms; experts can only estimate the scope of the epidemic.  The number of people with asymptomatic STDs (those that have no outward signs, like lesions or warts) probably exceeds those whose diseases have been diagnosed.  J. Dennis Fortenberry, “Unveiling the Hidden Epidemic of Sexually transmitted Diseases.” Journal of the American Medical Association 287 (2002):  768-769. 

A study of adolescent females who had one or more of six STDs (genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis) showed that 87 percent had no symptoms.  R.E. Bunnell, L. Dahlberg, R. Rolfs, et al., “High Prevalence and Incidence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Urban Adolescent Females Despite Moderate Risk Behaviors,” Journal of Infectious Diseases, 180(1999):  1624-1631

Nearly 50 percent of African-American teenagers have genital herpes, a disease for which there is no known cure.   Herpes (specifically herpes simplex virus type 2) has skyrocketed by 500 percent in the past 20 years among white American teenagers.   D. T. Fleming et al., “Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in the United States, 1976-1994.” New England Journal of Medicine 337 (1997): 1105-1160.

Risky Behaviors

“Sexual experience, and particularly age at first intercourse, represent critical indicators of the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.  Youth who begin having sex at younger ages are exposed to these risks over a longer period of time.  Because sexual intercourse during the teen years, especially first intercourse, is often unplanned, it is also often unprotected by contraception.  In addition, research has shown that youth who have early sexual experience are more likely at later ages to have more sexual partners and more frequent intercourse.” One recent study of women found that having more than one sexual relationship prior to marriage is associated with an elevated risk of divorce. Jay Teachman, “Premarital Sex, Premarital Cohabitation, and the Risk of Subsequent Marital Dissolution Among Women,” Journal of Marriage and the Family 65 (2003): 444-455. See also: When Teens Have Sex: Issues and Trends (Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 1998)  http://marriage.rutgers.edu/Publications/SourcesThings4Teens.htm

Sexually active youth are:
*3 times more likely to report a history of physical abuse
*6 times more likely to have planned to drop out of school
*7.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes
*10 times more likely to use alcohol
*12 times more likely to have attempted suicide
*19 times more likely to report a history of sexual abuse
*46 times more likely to use marijuana
*34.5 times more likely to use other drugs
*54 times more likely to have been suspended from school
Gary M. Ingersoll, Center for Adolescent Studies, Indiana University, copyright © 1996-1998, The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Inc.)  Source:   http://www.indiana.ed/~kinsey/Newsletter3/inter3.html 

Sexually active boys aged 12 through 16 are six times more likely to use alcohol and four times more likely to smoke than those who describe themselves as virgins.  Girls of the same age who are sexually active are seven times more likely to smoke and 10 times more likely to use marijuana than are those who are virgins.   D. P. Orr, M. Beiter, and G. Ingersoll, "Premature Sexual Activity as an Indicator of Psychosocial Risk," Pediatrics  87,  2  (February 1, 1991):  141-147. See also Kimberly Erickson, "Interconnections: Emerging Patterns in Youth Risk Behavior," Institute for Youth Development, Washington, D.C., June 1, 1998.

Adolescent sexual activity and substance abuse seem to go hand in hand.  “Adolescent treated for substance problems evidenced an early onset of sexual activity [and] more sexual partners.”  Susan F. Tapert et al., “Adolescent Substance Use and Sexual Risk-Taking Behavior,” Journal of Adolescent Health 28 (2001):  181-189.