ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Related Resources: >> Trends in Sexual Risk Behaviors among High School Students—United States, 1991 to 1997 and 1999 to 2003

IMPROVEMENTS IN TEEN SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR FLATLINE

Declines Occurred Prior to Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding

Washington, DC (August 10, 2006) Today, the CDC released in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) an analysis of the latest survey on sexual behaviors of high school students (grades 9 through 12) from 1991 to 2005. The report, “Trends in HIV-Related Risk Behaviors Among High School Students – United States, 1991-2005” found that much-touted improvements in adolescent sexual risk-taking behavior actually took place from 1991 to 1999, and that fewer additional improvements occurred after 2000.

"At first glance, the data in the MMWR seems positive,” said Debra Hauser, executive vice president of Advocates for Youth. “However, on closer examination, we see that the positive results of the 1990s have flat-lined.”

The report shows that the number of young people who have ever had sex declined from 1991-2001 and then leveled off. Additionally, between 1991 and 2005, there was a significant decrease in current sexual activity among black students, but no concurrent significant decline among other groups. Further, the study shows increases in condom use have leveled off in recent years. For black students, improvements in condom use became stagnant as early as 1999.

"The results of this report aren’t surprising,” added Ms. Hauser. "In fact, they corroborate an analysis Advocates for Youth completed in 2004.” Our analysis, Trends in Sexual Risk Behaviors among High School Students—United States, 1991 to 1997 and 1999 to 2003, showed that improvements in adolescent sexual risk-taking behavior actually took place from 1991 to 1997 and that these improvements did not continue into the time period between 1999 and 2003.

Both the Advocates study and today’s MMWR show the same thing - improvements in HIV preventive behavior among teens have slowed since the federally-funded abstinence-only-until-marriage initiative was launched.
“We have 30 years of public health research that shows us what works in teen pregnancy and HIV prevention. The abstinence-only-until-marriage programs fly in the face of this research.” said Hauser. “Isn’t it time for the federal government to abandon its failed abstinence-only-until-marriage policy and support what works?”

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Advocates for Youth is a national, nonprofit organization that creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

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