SD 4.2

SEXUALLY ACTIVE TEENS

Having become sexually experienced does not necessarily mean a teenager will be sexually active from that point on. They may still abstain from intercourse out of concern for the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, a preference for abstinence, or they may experience periods in which they do not have a sexual partner. Nevertheless, research indicates that once a person has had sex, they are likely to continue to be sexually active; among young adults aged 18-22 who had ever had intercourse, over 70 percent had a second experience of intercourse within six months of first intercourse.⁴¹

The percentage of teens in grades 9-12 who are sexually active — defined as having had sexual intercourse in the previous three months — has remained steady at 38 percent from 1991 to 1995 (see Table SD 4.2).

Differences by Gender. There is little difference between the percentages of male and female students who are sexually active. In 1995, 40 percent of males and 36 percent of females reported being sexually active.

Differences by Race.⁴² In 1995, black students were, at 54 percent, more likely than either non-Hispanic white (35 percent) or Hispanic (39 percent) students to be sexually active (see Figure SD 4.2).

Differences by Grade. The percentage of sexually active teens rises as grade increases. Twelfth grade students are nearly twice as likely to be sexually active than are 9th grade students.
 

Figure SD 4.2   Sexually Active Teens: Percentage of Teens in Grades 9-12 Who Reported Having Had Sexual Intercourse in the Previous Three Months, by Race/Ethnicity: 1995

Sources: “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 1995.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vol. 45, No SS-4, 1996: and unpublished tabulations from L. Kann, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
 
 

Table SD 4.2  Sexually Active Teens: Percentage of Teens in Grades 9-12 Who Reported Having Had Sexual Intercourse in the Previous Three Months, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Grade, and Age: 1991, 1993, and 1995
				1991	1993	1995
				———	———	———
Total				38	38	38
	Sex
		Male		38	38	40
		Female		37	38	36
	Race
		White, Non-Hispanic		34	34	35
		Black, Non-Hispanic		59	59	54
		Hispanic		37	39	39
	Grade
		9th		22	25	24
		10th		33	30	34
		11th		43	40	42
		12th		51	53	50
	Age
		15 years		24	25	28
		16 years		38	35	37
		15 or 16 years		31	31	32
Sources: "1990-1991 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System." Chronic Disease and Health Promotion Reprints from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 1993." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vol. 44, No. SS-1, 1995. "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 1995." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vol. 45, No SS-4, 1996: and unpublished tabulations from L. Kann, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

⁴² Estimates for whites and blacks exclude Hispanics of those races.
 
 

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