TY - JOUR
T1 - Age of sexual debut among US adolescents
AU - Cavazos-Rehg, Patricia A.
AU - Krauss, Melissa J.
AU - Spitznagel, Edward L.
AU - Schootman, Mario
AU - Bucholz, Kathleen K.
AU - Peipert, Jeffrey F.
AU - Sanders-Thompson, Vetta
AU - Cottler, Linda B.
AU - Bierut, Laura Jean
N1 - Funding Information:
This publication was made possible by funding from the KL2 RR024994–ICTS Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program and Grant Number UL1 RR024992 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NCRR or NIH. This publication was also supported in part by a Midcareer Investigator Award in Women's Health Research (K24 HD01298).
PY - 2009/8
Y1 - 2009/8
N2 - Background: This study examined gender and racial/ethnic differences in sexual debut. Study Design: We analyzed 1999-2007 data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of students in Grades 9-12 established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compute the probability of survival (not having become sexually active) at each year (age 12 through 17), and separate estimates were produced for each level of gender and racial/ethnic group. Results: African-American males experienced sexual debut earlier than all other groups (all tests of significance at p<.001) and Asian males and females experienced sexual debut later than all groups (all tests of significance at p<.001). By their 17th birthday, the probability for sexual debut was less than 35% for Asians (females 28%, males 33%) and less than 60% for Caucasians (58% females, 53% males) and Hispanic females (59%). The probability for sexual debut by their 17th birthday was greatest for African Americans (74% females, 82% males) and Hispanic males (69%). Conclusions: These results demonstrate a need for sexual education programs and policy to be sensitive to the roles of race and ethnicity in sexual debut.
AB - Background: This study examined gender and racial/ethnic differences in sexual debut. Study Design: We analyzed 1999-2007 data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of students in Grades 9-12 established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compute the probability of survival (not having become sexually active) at each year (age 12 through 17), and separate estimates were produced for each level of gender and racial/ethnic group. Results: African-American males experienced sexual debut earlier than all other groups (all tests of significance at p<.001) and Asian males and females experienced sexual debut later than all groups (all tests of significance at p<.001). By their 17th birthday, the probability for sexual debut was less than 35% for Asians (females 28%, males 33%) and less than 60% for Caucasians (58% females, 53% males) and Hispanic females (59%). The probability for sexual debut by their 17th birthday was greatest for African Americans (74% females, 82% males) and Hispanic males (69%). Conclusions: These results demonstrate a need for sexual education programs and policy to be sensitive to the roles of race and ethnicity in sexual debut.
KW - Adolescent risk behaviors
KW - Sexual debut
KW - Sexual differences
KW - Sexual intercourse
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67650802788&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.contraception.2009.02.014
DO - 10.1016/j.contraception.2009.02.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 19631791
AN - SCOPUS:67650802788
SN - 0010-7824
VL - 80
SP - 158
EP - 162
JO - Contraception
JF - Contraception
IS - 2
ER -