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Across the United States, young people are at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. Ohio’s teen pregnancy and HIV rates are lower than the national average. However, Ohio’s racial and sexual minority youth are at disproportionate risk for negative sexual health outcomes, while abstinence-only policies censor youth access to vital information. Comprehensive sexuality education and access to contraception are more important than ever to the health of Ohio’s youth.

A Populous State with Thousands of Youth At Risk for Negative Sexual Health Outcomes

• Ohio is the seventh most populous state in the nation. There are over 1.6 million young people ages 15-24 living in Ohio – about 14 percent of its population.[1]
• About 14 percent of Ohio’s youth are African American; three percent are Hispanic/Latino; 1.5 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander; and about 81 percent are white.
• Forty-five percent of high school students in Ohio report ever having had sex, compared to 48 percent of students nationwide. Thirty-five percent report being currently sexually active, equal to national rates.[2]
• Sixty percent of Ohio’s high school students report using a condom at last intercourse. Only eleven states have lower rates of condom use than Ohio.[2]
• In 2000, almost 30,000 of Ohio’s teens between the ages of 15 and 19 became pregnant.[8]
• In 2005, fifteen percent of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in Ohio were among young people ages 15-24.[3]
• Ohio’s young people are at risk for STIs: youth ages 15-24 experienced 64 percent of Chlamydia cases and 60 percent of the total number of Gonorrhea cases in Ohio in 2007.[4,5]
• Seventy percent of youth in Ohio have heard homophobic remarks in school, and 58-60 percent report that their peers are frequently bullied because of sexual orientation or gender expression.[6] The Gay Lesbian Straight Educators Network (GLSEN) gives Ohio a grade of F in creating policies which protect the safety of GLBTQ youth.[7]

Ohio’s Racial and Sexual Minorities Bear the Burden of Teen Pregnancy and HIV/STIs

• While Ohio’s teen pregnancy rate of 74 pregnancies per 1000 young women ages 15-19 is lower than the nation rate of 84, African American and Hispanic/Latino youth in Ohio are at much higher risk for pregnancy than are their white peers. The teen pregnancy rate is 59 for young white women, while it is more than 2.5 times as high (159) for African Americans and nearly double (115) for Hispanics/Latinos.[8]
• In addition, while Ohio’s teen birth rate of 39 births per 1000 young women ages 15-19 is lower than the nation rate (41), African American and Hispanic/Latino youth in Ohio give birth at greater rates than their white peers. The teen birth rate is 31 for young white women, while it is more than twice as high for African Americans (74) and Hispanics/Latinos (86).[8]
• African Americans in Ohio experienced 63 percent of Chlamydia infections and 70 percent of gonorrhea infections among patients reporting their race in 2007.
• African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV in Ohio. African Americans are nine times as likely to be infected with AIDS as whites, and Hispanics/Latinos are six times as likely as whites to be infected.[9]
• African American women at greatly disproportionate risk for HIV – in 2005 they suffered 63 percent of Ohio’s cumulative HIV cases among women, even though they make up only 12 percent of the female population.[1,10]
• Men who have sex with men are at the highest risk for HIV – they made up 87 percent of men who reported a mode of transmission in 2005.[10]

Ohio’s Abstinence-Only Programs Are Ineffective and May Even Harm Youth

• In 2007 Ohio received $1.2 million in Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) funds.[11,12]
• Ohio requires “venereal disease education” for students under regulations similar to the federal requirements for abstinence-only programs.
• Federally funded abstinence-only programs, including the ones used in Ohio cannot include information about the health benefits of contraception and condoms for sexually active youth and must teach that sex outside of marriage is likely to have harmful physical and psychological effects.[11]
• Abstinence-only programs also must emphasize marriage as the only appropriate context for sex.[11] Thus, at their worst they promote homophobia and at their best they totally ignore the needs of GLBTQ youth.[13]
• Recent research on abstinence-only programs has found them ineffective, with no impact on reducing teen pregnancy, delaying sexual initiation, or reducing STIs.[14,15]
• Research on comprehensive sexuality education has consistently shown that young people who receive complete and accurate information about abstinence, condoms, and contraception were not more likely to have sex or acquire an STI.[16,17]
• Recent research on comprehensive sexuality education found that youth who received it were significantly more likely to use condoms if sexually active, and were significantly less likely to be involved in pregnancy. [15,17]

Conclusion

Ohio’s youth are at risk for pregnancy, HIV, and STIs; youth of color and GLBTQ youth are at disproportionate risk for negative sexual health outcomes. Research shows that comprehensive sexuality education and access to contraceptive services can help young people protect their health and well-being. Further, there are a number of culturally relevant science-based programs than can successfully assist youth of color to reduce sexual risk taking. [16,17]

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. “2006 American Community Survey. Ohio: Sex By Age.” Accessed on August 5, 2008 from http://factfinder.census.gov/
2. Eaton DK et al. Youth risk behavior surveillance, United States, 2005. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 2006;55(SS-5):1–108.
3. Ohio Department of Health HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program. Ohio HIV/AIDS Statistical Summary: HIV Infection and AIDS Cases Diagnosed Through December 2005. Accessed from http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/E68B47BE8FEC42E699C20A
   2152894A70/hiv1205.pdf on September 26, 2008.
4. Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Chlamydia Cases 2006 to First Quarter 2008. Accessed from http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/AAAE29CBFA0C460395A85C
   5EDBC9E56E/CT1q08.pdf on September 26, 2008.
5. Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Gonorrhea Cases 2006 to First Quarter 2008. Accessed from http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/934E595F87AC4C04A5D8D5F
   D8B8A6BBF/GC1q08.pdf on September 26, 2008.
6. Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. “From Teasing to Torment: Study Reveals Student Perceptions of Bullying and Harassment in Ohio.” Accessed from http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/1873.html on September 26, 2008.
7. Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. State of the States: Ohio. . Accessed from http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/374-1.pdf on August 15, 2008.
8. National Campaign to End Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. “State Profile: Ohio.” Accessed from http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/state-data/state-profile.aspx?state=ohio on August 15, 2008.
9. “Kaiser State Facts: Ohio – HIV/AIDS.” Kaiser Family Foundation. Accessed from http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=37&cat=11&ind=515 on August 15, 2008.
10. Ohio Department of Health. Reported Persons Living with HIV/AIDS as of Dec 31, 2005, by current disease status and by selected characteristics, Ohio. Accessed from http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/94D9C288355A
    4435B4103D2CE930A2FE/prev.pdf on September 26, 2008.
11. SIECUS Public Policy Office. “State Profile: Ohio.” Sexuality Education and Information Council of the United States, 2007. Accessed from http://www.siecus.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&parentID =487&grandparentID=478&pageId=853 on September 15, 2008.
12. Family Youth and Services Bureau. “Discretionary Grant Programs.” Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008. Accessed from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/docs/07_
    grantawards.pdf on September 1, 2008.
13. Society for Adolescent Medicine. Abstinence-only education policies and programs: a position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Journal of Adolescent Health 2006; 38(1):83-87.
14. Trenholm et al. Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs. Princeton: Mathematica Policy Research, 2007. Accessed from http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/impactabstinence.pdf on April 15, 2008.
15. Kohler et al. “Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4): 344-351.
16. Kirby D. Emerging Answers 2007.. Washington, DC: The National Campaign, 2007 to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Accessed from http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/EA2007/EA2007_sum.pdf on March 1, 2008.
17. Alford S. Science and Success: Sex Education and Other Programs That Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, 2003.

Written by Emily Bridges, MLS
2008 © Advocates for Youth