Blog: Recent Research
Fast Facts for July 2012 Print

by Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services

It seems like every week brings a new study about young people and sexual health. Below are some of the "headlines" - important statistics from major sources of data.  And don't forget to explore our series of frequently updated guides to research on adolescent reproductive and sexual health issues at researchguides.advocatesforyouth.org.

As Of July 9, 2012

HIV

 US

There were an estimated 48k new infections in 2009 – 1/3 among young people ages 13-29.               (CDC HIV Incidence Estimates released August 2011)

NEW THIS MONTH:

 Over 34k young people are living with HIV in US.

In 2010 male to male sexual transmission accounted for 90% of new infections among young men ages 13-24.

African Americans accounted for 60% of new infections among young people ages 13-24. (HIV Surveillance among adolescents and young adults)

Only 22.6% of sexually active high school students have ever been tested for HIV  (Archives of Pediatrics, January 2)

International

5 million young people ages 15-24 are living with HIV around the world (Opportunity in Crisis, Unicef)

Young people ages 15-24 account for 42% of all new HIV infections (UNAIDS report 2011, Core Slides, Slide 11)


STIs

There are 19 million new infections every year; young people ages 15-24 account for “almost half.” CDC 2010 STD surveillance

 

Teen Pregnancy and Birth

US

750,000 teens younger than 20 become pregnant each year.

The teen pregnancy rate is 67.8 pregnancies per 1000 young women ages 15-19(US Teenage Pregnancies, Births, And Abortions, 2008 (Guttmacher) (page 2))

The teen birth rate hit a record low of 34.3 births per 1000 teens in 2010. Almost 368,000 teens ages 15-19 gave birth in 2010. (CDC: Birth Rates to Teenagers Reach Historic Lows)

Among teens who gave birth, 50% were not using birth control and 31% of these believed they could not become pregnant.(CDC: Prepregnancy Contraceptive Use Among Teens with Unintended Pregnancies Resulting in Live Birth)

Worldwide

16 million teens ages 15-19 give birth every year (WHO: 10 Facts on Adolescent Health, Slide 3)


Abortion

Almost one in three U.S. women has an abortion in her lifetime (Guttmacher “Induced Abortion” Factsheet)

 Adolescents ages 15-19 account for 16% of U.S. abortions (Abortion Surveillance (2008/released Nov 2011)

47,000 women die from unsafe abortion every year worldwide (WHO, unsafe abortion)


Sexual Activity and Contraceptive Use


2011 YRBS Data (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance 2011)

  1. 47.4 percent of all high school students (grades 9-12) have ever had sex; 63 percent of high school seniors report ever having had sex. 
  2. 33.7 percent of students are currently sexually active; 47.5% of seniors are currently sexually active 
  3. 60.2 percent of sexually active students used a condom at last intercourse.

During 2006–2010, 57% of females aged 15–19 years had never had sex (defined as vaginal intercourse), an increase from 49% in 1995. Approximately 60% of sexually active teens reported using highly effective contraceptive methods, an increase from 47% in 1995. (CDC, Sexual Experience and Contraceptive Use Among Female Teens — United States, 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010)

By the age of 19, 70 percent of young people have had sex. (Guttmacher , “Facts on Amer. Teens Repro Health”)

 In 2006–2010, about 43% of never-married female teenagers (4.4 million), and about 42% of never-married male teenagers (4.5 million) had had sexual intercourse at least once – a total of nearly 9 million teens who have already had sex. (NSFG Analysis, 2010)

  95% of all people have sex before they are married. (Guttmacher:  Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954–2003)

 5.5% of young women ages 15-24, and 8.3% of young men ages 15-24, reported HIV sexual risk behaviors compared to 3.9% of women overall and 7.2% of men overall. (CDC: HIV risk Behaviors in the U.S.)


Bullying, Violence, and Harassment

 48 % of students have been sexually harassed. (AAUW report, 2010)

32% of all students have been bullied at school; 11% physically bullied (Dept of Ed report, 2010)

85% of LGBT students have been bullied at school, 28% physically. (GLSEN Climate Report 2009)

8% of high school students have been forced to have intercourse; 9% have experienced dating violence. (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance 2011)


With questions or comments, contact:

Emily Bridges, Director of Public Information Services, Advocates for Youth
202 419 3420
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Explore our series of frequently updated guides to research on adolescent reproductive and sexual health issues at researchguides.advocatesforyouth.org

 
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