Fewer Teens 15 to 17 Having Sex, Study Shows

Fewer U.S. youths ages 15-17 are having sex, and they cite religious and moral values as the number-one reason, says a new survey released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the "2002 National Survey of Family Growth," 30 percent of never-married females ages 15-17 have had sex, down from 38 percent in 1995. In the same age group, the number of boys who have had sex fell from 43 percent in 1995 to 31 percent in 2002. CDC's National Center for Health Statistics surveyed about 2,200 teenagers randomly selected from across the country.

When asked why they abstained from sex, the teens most often cited religion or moral values (girls: 38 percent; boys: 31 percent), pregnancy concerns (girls: 19 percent; boys: 25 percent), and STDs (girls: 7 percent; boys: 10 percent).

Of teens who were having intercourse, 79 percent reported using birth control, up from 61 percent in the late 1980s, with two-thirds using condoms as their method of birth control. "You have to think some of those messages [about contraception] are getting across," said demographer Joyce Abma, the study's lead author.

The study deals only with sexual intercourse, not oral sex, which many experts believe is increasing among teens. Additional reports to be released next year will include data on oral sex, CDC said.

Among other findings:

• Nearly one girl in 10 reported her first intercourse as non-voluntary. Sixty-six percent of girls and 39 percent of boys reported "mixed feelings" about their first intercourse or said they "didn't really want it to happen at the time."

• Almost six in 10 teens who first had sex before age 15 have had four or more partners.

• Thirty-four percent of teens had not received formal instruction about contraception before age 18.

• Thirteen percent of girls and 11 percent of boys had taken a pledge to remain a virgin until marriage.

• Among those ages 18-19, 64 percent of males reported sex in 2002, down from 75 percent in 1995; 69 percent of females reported sex in 2002, up from 68 percent in 1995.

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