New Mexico: Teen Sex Survey Shows Problem

A survey of almost 500 South Valley district residents in Albuquerque found few teens know where to go to obtain contraception.

Hablando Claro (Plain Talk) conducted the survey. Founded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Hablando Claro is a pregnancy and STD prevention program targeting the Latino community. The survey's results comprise responses from 147 teens and 349 adults. Among its findings:

• 61 percent of teens said they knew where to obtain contraception, but only 19 percent could give an actual location when pressed.
• Almost 50 percent of adult females would feel comfortable talking with teens about sex, compared with 37 percent of adult males.
• Less than 30 percent of teens of both genders felt very comfortable talking about sex with adults.
• If their child asked about sex, 24 percent of adult males would seek more information, compared to 16 percent of adult females, who were more likely than adult males to begin a conversation (24.3 percent vs. 19.8 percent).
• 17 percent of teens said a person should never take "no" as a response to wanting sex.

The phase-one survey, called the community mapping phase, will be used to refine the second, 18-month stage of Hablando Claro's program. That will involve home health parties, where community health educators, or promotoras, will discuss with small groups important topics identified by the survey. About 60 percent of participants indicated a willingness to host such events.

"Hopefully, the results will improve people's knowledge of where to find reproductive services and how to use them," said Veronica Plaza, Hablando Claro program director. In the third phase, the program will resurvey the community and compare the results with the baseline survey.

Back to other news for October 27, 2006