77: Middle school students’ sexual behavior:

Article Outline

• Purpose
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions
• Support
• Copyright

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Purpose 

Anecdotal reports suggest that young adolescents may engage in “non-intercourse” sexual behaviors, such as oral sex, before having vaginal sex. Few studies have data on rates of oral sex among young adolescents and whether engaging in oral sex precedes or coincides with the initiation of sexual intercourse. We present data on these behaviors among ethnically diverse middle school students.

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Methods 

Project Connect is an 8 year multi-level intervention study to develop, implement and evaluate interventions to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, among middle and high school students. Baseline data were collected in Spring 2005 from 4557 middle school students (6^th–8^th grades; ages 11-14) at 14 schools in a large urban school district in the western U.S. Students were randomly selected by classroom from health or science class and invited to complete a 30-minute self-administered survey in one class period. Along with demographics, the survey asked about sexual behavior, after-school activities, relationship with parents, and health care use.

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Results 

About half (56%) were female, and 67% were Latino, 14% African-American, 7% Asian/Pacific Islander, with the remaining 12% of other or mixed ethnicities. While 85% were born in the U.S., about 80% reported that a parent was foreign-born. Almost one-third (30%) reported speaking only English at home, 37% both English and Spanish, 31% only Spanish, and 3% another language. Overall, 9% reported ever having sexual intercourse (“sexually experienced”), and 8% ever had oral sex (active or receptive). Two-thirds of those reporting sexual intercourse also reported oral sex, while very few (<3%) of non-sexually experienced youth had ever had oral sex. About 12% reported any sexual activity (oral sex, intercourse or both). Of those who reported intercourse, 36% were age 11 or younger at first sex, 27% were 12, 28% were 13, and 9% were 14 or older. Alarmingly, 43% of sexually experienced participants reported multiple sex partners. Future analyses will explore findings by age and gender, and identify covariates of intercourse, oral sex, and high sexual risk.

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Conclusions 

These data indicate that one in eight youth are sexually experienced, having engaged in intercourse, oral sex or both before the age of 14. Due to young age at sexual onset, these adolescents are at very high risk for adverse health outcomes. Physicians caring for them may need to probe about risk behavior early in the middle school years. An immediate goal for these youth should be to assist them in returning to abstinence. For the majority of youth who have not engaged in sexual activities, the goal should be to further delay the onset of sexual initiation. Behavioral preventive interventions and health education are imperative for all youth beginning early in middle school. The involvement of parents, health care providers, and community leaders is also critical.

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Support 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cooperative Agreement No. U30/CCU922283-01.