Fewer Teens Having Intercourse, Fewer Pregnancies

[MF Perm]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/13/te ... index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer high school students are having sex these days, and more are using condoms. The teen birth rate has hit a record low.
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In 2005, 47 percent of high school students reported having sexual intercourse, down from 54 percent in 1991.

More young people are finishing high school, too, and more little kids are being read to, according to the latest government snapshot on the well-being of the nation's children. It's good news on a number of key wellness indicators, experts said of the report being released Friday.

"The implications for the population are quite positive in terms of their health and their well-being," said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics. "The lower figure on teens having sex means the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is lower."

In 2005, 47 percent of high school students -- 6.7 million -- reported having had sexual intercourse, down from 54 percent in 1991. The rate of those who reported having had sex has remained the same since 2003.

Of those who had sex during a three-month period in 2005, 63 percent -- about 3 million -- used condoms. That's up from 46 percent in 1991.

The teen birth rate, the report said, was 21 per 1,000 young women ages 15-17 in 2005 -- an all-time low. It was down from 39 births per 1,000 teens in 1991.

"This is very good news," said Sondik. "Young teen mothers and their babies are at a greater risk of both immediate and long-term difficulties."

The birth rate in the 15-19 age group was 40 per 1,000 in 2005, also down sharply from the previous decade.

Education campaigns that started years ago are having a significant effect, said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a Washington-based nonprofit group that focuses on prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

"I think the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the efforts in the '80s and '90s had a lot to do with that," Wagoner said of the improved numbers on teen sex, condoms and adolescent births.

"We need to encourage young teens to delay sexual initiation and we need to make sure they get all the information they need about condoms and birth control," he said.

The report was compiled from statistics and studies at 22 federal agencies, and covered 38 key indicators, including infant mortality, academic achievement rates and the number of children living in poverty.

Other highlights:

• The percentage of children covered by health insurance decreased slightly. In 2005, 89 percent of children had health insurance coverage at some point during the year, down from 90 percent the previous year.

• The percentage of low birthweight infants (born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces) increased. It was 8.2 percent in 2005, up from 8.1 percent in 2004.

• More youngsters are getting reading time. Sixty percent of children ages 3-5 (and not in kindergarten) were read to daily by a family member in 2005, up from 53 percent in 1993.

• The percentage of children who had at least one parent working year round and full-time increased to 78.3 percent in 2005, up from 77.6 percent the previous year.

• More young people are completing high school. In 2005, 88 percent of young adults had finished high school -- up from 84 percent in 1980.

The report was released by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics -- a consortium of federal agencies that includes the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Census Bureau and the Administration for Children and Families.

Finally proof that proper sex education is working, and in a much shorter period of time, than abstinence-only education. I have faith for the future.

[Axil]

This reminds me; I need pussy

[Octavious]

About time they started teaching safe sex rather then preaching youll die from pre-martial sex >.>

[Intense]

Someone call Puerto Rico.

[Zylo]

This reminds me; I need pussy

Call me babe

[Ryko]

I think it's more technological education rather than safe sex. I mean who has time to be sexually attractive when you're busy heavy petting an iPhone or fingerbanging your sunder macro? 1 500 dollar PC upgrade or handheld purchase can set your kid into adulthood virginity no problem nowadays.

[netz]

I think it's more technological education rather than safe sex. I mean who has time to be sexually attractive when you're busy heavy petting an iPhone or fingerbanging your sunder macro? 1 500 dollar PC upgrade or handheld purchase can set your kid into adulthood virginity no problem nowadays.

Agree 100%. My new MacBook Pro is going to delay my getting a girlfriend by another 2 years and simultaneously ruin my college experience, since it will further enhance my ability to PvP in WoW for epics. I might even be tempted to start raiding.

[Fhqwghads]

All this means is there's more ugly high schoolers than in previous years. Nobody wants ugly sex. After all, even ugly people don't wanna bang ugly people.

[Parshias]

*This post is only in response to the topic title, and not the article itself*

Its... as if the two are related somehow.

I'm on the case!

[Intense]

*This post is only in response to the topic title, and not the article itself*

Its... as if the two are related somehow.

I'm on the case!

[MF Perm]

*This post is only in response to the topic title, and not the article itself*

Its... as if the two are related somehow.

I'm on the case!

lol I had a second thought before hitting enter, but I just "Ah fuck it"'ed it. You get the point >:O

[Avé]

I think it's more technological education rather than safe sex. I mean who has time to be sexually attractive when you're busy heavy petting an iPhone or fingerbanging your sunder macro? 1 500 dollar PC upgrade or handheld purchase can set your kid into adulthood virginity no problem nowadays.

Definitely. Entering the world of online gaming with PSO my freshmen year completely ruined any hope for a high school social life.

[Dezzimal]

Obviously more kids are throwing it in her (his?) can as opposed to the front door.

[Beckwin]

Where's a Surgeon General that can explain where the penis was designed to go when you need one...

[megabyte]

This just means more people are playing MMOs.

[Kuya]

Someone call Puerto Rico.

[Boyiee]

This just means more people are playing MMOs.

and also, by intercourse do they mean Male+Female sex only? Because i'm pretty sure the homosexuality rate has gone up since then too, which means less pregnancies, but doesn't necessarily mean less sex. Maybe its more sex because maybe it's more fun, i'm gonna need some clarification on this, hard evidence too.

[miokomioko]

hard evidence too.

Rawwwr.

[Boyiee]

im right here, right now, baby.


and im in my moghouse if you're into getting the moogle involved, having him take pictures, or just letting him watch in the corner near the fishtank.

[MF Perm]

This just means more people are playing MMOs.

and also, by intercourse do they mean Male+Female sex only? Because i'm pretty sure the homosexuality rate has gone up since then too, which means less pregnancies, but doesn't necessarily mean less sex. Maybe its more sex because maybe it's more fun, i'm gonna need some clarification on this, hard evidence too.

If there are fewer recorded STD's and pregnancies, it doesn't matter if its gay sex or hetero sex - safer sex is occurring. Gay teens need to be taught ( and obviously are if this is the case ) safe sex as well.