Teens

1
Teens Sexual Experience

• 1995- 2002

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This Presentation Covers 3 Areas

• Teens Sexual Experience in 1995
• Teens Sexual Experience in 2002
• About the National Campaign and Putting What
  Works to Work (PWWTW)

3
The Good News

• Less than half of teens have had sex.
• There is a statistically significant decrease in
  the sexual experience of both boys and girls
  between 1995 and 2002.

Percent of teens (15-19) who have ever had sex,
1995 and 2002
4
Sexual Experience Varies by Race/Ethnicity

• For both boys and girls, sexual experience varies
  significantly by race/ethnicity.
• In 2002, non-Hispanic white boys were the least
  likely to have had sex, while non-Hispanic black
  boys were most likely.

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Sexual Experience Varies by Race/Ethnicity

• Teen girls sexual experience varies by race,
  though Hispanic girls are the least likely to be
  sexually experienced.
• The difference by race is statistically
  significant for both boys and girls.

6
Sexual Experience Varies by Race/Ethnicity

• The percent of sexually experienced teen boys has
  dropped between 1995 and 2002 across all
  racial/ethnic groups.

7
Sexual Experience Varies by Race/Ethnicity

• The percent of sexually experienced teen girls
  from all race/ethnicities has also dropped
  between 1995 and 2002 across all racial/ethnic
  groups.

8
Sexual Experience by Age

• For both boys and girls, the percentage of teens
  who have had sex increases with age.

9
Sexual Experience by Age

• One in seven teens has sex by age 15.
• For both boys and girls, sexual experience before
  age 15 varies by race/ethnicity.

10
Sexual Experience by Age

• The median age that teen boys first have sex is
  17.3, but this varies by race/ethnicity.
• The median age Hispanic teen boys first have sex
  is 16.7, compared to 17.8 for non-Hispanic white
  teen boys, and 16.0 for non-Hispanic black teen
  boys.

11
Sexual Experience by Age

• The median age that teen girls first have sex is
  17.1, but this varies by race/ethnicity.
• The median age Hispanic teen girls first have sex
  is 18.3, compared to 16.9 for non-Hispanic white
  teen girls, and 16.3 for non-Hispanic black teen
  girls.

12
Sexual Experience by Age

• The percentage of teen boys who report having had
  sex before age 15 decreased significantly from
  more than 1 in 5 in 1995 to 1 in 7 in 2002.

13
Sexual Experience by Age

• Between 1995 and 2002, the percentage of teen
  girls who report having had sex before age 15
  also decreased significantly from 1 in 5 to 1 in
  7 (respectively).

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What It All Means.

• The percentage of sexually experienced teens has
  decreased rather dramatically in recent years.
• This decrease is especially notable among
  specific groups such as young teens, Hispanic
  girls, non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black
  teen boys, in particular, and older boys more
  generally.
• There has also been a remarkable decrease in the
  proportion of teens who have had sex before age
  15.

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What It All Means.

• Getting young people to delay sexual activity
  plays an important role in reducing teen
  pregnancy and childbearing as well as rates of
  STDs among teens.
• This is because the later a teen begins having
  sex, the fewer partners they are likely to have
  and the lower their risk for early-pregnancy and
  childbearing, and STD infection.

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What It All Means.

• Despite significant progress in reducing sexual
  activity among young people, almost half of all
  teens have had sex a percentage that increases
  with age.
• This suggests that in addition to being
  encouraged to delay sex, teens need information
  about contraception and sexually active young
  people need access to reproductive health
  services.

17
What It All Means.

• Given that about one in seven teens has sex
  before their 15th birthday, there is still more
  work to be done in reducing teen pregnancy.

18
About the Campaign

• The Campaigns mission is to improve the
  well-being of children, youth, and families by
  preventing teen pregnancy.
• Our goal is to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy
  by one-third by 2015.

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Putting What Works To Work

• PWWTW is a Cooperative Agreement funded by the
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Goal Enhance the ability of state and local
  organizations to incorporate science-based
  approaches into their teen pregnancy prevention
  efforts.

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PWWTW How?

• Produce high-quality, research-based,
  user-friendly materials.
• Use these materials to encourage states,
  communities, and national organizations to
  incorporate research-based practices into their
  work.
• Go beyond the usual suspects and reach out to
  media executives, state legislators, funders and
  other opinion leaders.

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• Thank You!

For more information, visit www.teenpregnancy.or
g