New Study Indicates Decrease in U.S. High School Students' HIV-related Sexual Risk Behaviors

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) indicates that the percentage of U.S. high school students engaging in HIV-related sexual risk behaviors decreased between the years 1991 and 2005. The results are based on an analysis of the biennial national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted during that period.

However, many students still engage in HIV-related risk behaviors and programs that work to change these behaviors need to be strengthened so that the number of children who have HIV/AIDS decreases. Of particular concern are the disparities among subgroups; for example, black students are more likely than white and Hispanic students to report sexual risk behaviors and Hispanic students have not experienced decreases in the prevalence of sexual experience, having had multiple sex partners, or current sexual activity.

The report specifies the behaviors that have decreased and provides breakdowns by gender, grade, and race/ethnicity from 1991 – 2005. According to the self-administered questions asked on the YRBS, during 1991 – 2005 the prevalence of sexual experience decreased 13% from 54.1% to 46.8%. In addition, the percentage of U.S. high school students who ever injected drugs remained less than 4%; the prevalence of multiple sex partners decreased 24%; the prevalence of current sexual activity decreased 9%; and the prevalence of condom use increased 36%.

Source: MMWR