The Consequences Of Sexual Activity Among Youth
Teenage sexual activity brings with it serious consequences, including unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and emotional stress.Adolescents are at a higher risk for acquiring STDs for several reasons: they are more likely to have multiple partners, to engage in intercourse without contraception, and to select partners at higher risk.10 Also, younger women are biologically more susceptible to infections than older women.11 Every year three million teenagers, which is about one-fourth of teenagers who have had sex (at least once), acquire an STD.
In fact, HIV infection is the sixth leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds.Thirty years ago there were only two common and easily treated STDs. Today there are more than 20 prevalent STDs.A report by the Institute of Medicine referred to STDs as a “hidden epidemic” because of people’s reluctance to discuss them and because many are without symptoms. Some STDs affecting many in the general population include
chlamydia (4 million cases), gonorrhea (800,000 cases), human papillomavirus (500,000-1 million cases), genital herpes (200,000-500,000 cases), AIDS (80,000 cases) and hepatitis B (53,000 cases).
Another serious consequence of adolescent sexual activity is pregnancy. About one million teenage women become pregnant each year. Older teenagers who are poor or black are more likely to become pregnant than those who are young, white or have a higher income.The number of unintended teen pregnancies has been decreasing recently. The teen birthrate dropped from 62.1 births per 1,000 teens in 1991 to 56.9 births per 1,000 teens in 1995.17 However, the birthrate of those who were sexually experienced actually rose during the same time period, indicating that abstinence was the main contributor to the overall decrease.
While the physical consequences of early sexual involvement can pose serious risk, the emotional toll of sexual involvement cannot be overlooked. The Alan Guttmacher Institute writes, “Having sex can engender a sense of shame or guilt; push a couple apart; raise unrealistic expectations of further commitment and marriage; or be a form of abuse.”
Characteristics of Sexually Active Youth
Various characteristics make adolescents more or less likely to engage in sexual activity during their teen years. The Add Health study reports that students are less likely to have an early onset of sexual intercourse if they appear “younger” than peers, are religious,make a pledge of sexual abstinence, or have a higher grade point average.
Younger males are more likely than younger females to engage in sexual activity. At age 13, just over 1 in 10 males and only 1 in 50 females are sexually experienced. However,by age 20, there is less discrepancy in the numbers and about 3 in 4 females and 4 out of 5 males are sexually experienced. The onset of sexual activity increases with age,with males reporting earlier sexual activity. The proportion of teen males who report having sex is roughly equal to the number of sexually experienced females who are one year older.
African-Americans report earlier sexual activity than whites or Hispanics. By the age of 16.5 approximately half of black women have had sex, about one year earlier than the same percentage of white and Hispanic women report sexual onset. For African- American males, about half have had sex by age 15, almost two years sooner than their white and Hispanic male counterparts. Adolescents in families with lower incomes (below $20,000) have sex four to six months earlier than those from higher income families. Teens living in the South and in rural areas, and those whose parents receive welfare, are more likely to have sexual experience.
Adolescents who perceive they will die young or who feel attracted to someone of the same sex have a higher risk of early (heterosexual) sexual intercourse. Other factors that place a teen at greater risk of sexual activity include working at a paid job more than 20 hours per week, having low grades, and appearing “older” than their peers.
The Impact Of Parents And Family On Sexual Activity In Youth
A positive family relationship cannot be underestimated as a primary factor that protects adolescents from engaging in sexual behavior.The Add Health study found the more connected teenagers felt to their parents and family, the less likely they were to participate in early sexual activity. Youth who perceived that their parents disapproved of adolescent sex and adolescent contraceptive use were more likely to delay sexual debut. Also, parents can positively influence the sexual behavior choices of their children by being home at key points of the day, conveying high expectations for school, and instilling in their children a sense of belonging and self worth.
Communication between parents and children is vitally important. “Clearly sexual promiscuity and high risk behavior can be reduced significantly if parents talk to their children about sex,” said Paul Krouse, publisher of Who’s Who Among American High School Students. Of students whose parents forbid them to have sex, most (88 percent) have never had sexual intercourse. In comparison, of those students who said their parents don’t care if they have sex, more than half (52 percent) have engaged in sex.Parents who clearly communicate to their child the importance of delaying sex can help reduce the risk that their child will engage in sexual activity. Adolescents who perceive their parents’ disapproving attitude towards early sex will be more likely to wait,thereby protecting against risks of STDs and pregnancy.
Sexual Activity Among Youth And Its Link To Other Risk Behaviors
Sexual activity has been found to be an indicator of a larger lifestyle pattern of unhealthy risk behaviors, including using tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, and being involved in violence.A study of youth ages 12 to 16 published in Pediatrics, found nonvirginal boys were four times more likely to smoke and six times more likely to have ever used alcohol than boys who were virgins. Nonvirginal girls faced the same risks: compared to virginal girls they were seven times more likely to smoke and 10 times more likely to use marijuana.The researchers stated, “Our data confirm that drug use, sexual activity, and other troublesome activities and feelings are common even among the youngest students. It has been increasingly recognized that these behaviors are interrelated.” The report called sexual activity a “significant associate of other health-endangering behaviors,” and it found the older the adolescent the more likely sexual activity would be linked with alcohol or marijuana use. Sexual activity can be an indicator of substance abuse. Adolescents who have three or more sexual partners in one year, are more likely to engage in illicit drug use.The Alan Guttmacher Institute, in its report, Sex and America’s Teenagers,stated that young teenagers who use alcohol, tobacco and marijuana on a regular basis are more likely to be having sex.
Nationwide, among students who are currently sexually active, one-fourth reported they had used alcohol or drugs at last sexual tercourse.Other research shows the misuse of alcohol often results in an earlier onset of sexual activity.33 In fact, one survey of teens (ages 13 to 18) found 17 percent of those who had an intimate one-on-one encounter with someone of the opposite sex admitted doing something sexual under the influence of drugs or alcohol that they would not have done if they had not been under that influence. Among older girls (ages 17 to 18) who had had intimate encounters, percent said drugs or alcohol had influenced their decision to do something sexual.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study about cigarette smoking, based on the data from the 1992 National Health Interview Survey of Youth Risk Behavior (NHIS-YRBS), found a relationship between smoking and sexual activity. Those who were current smokers or former smokers were significantly more likely to have engaged in sexual intercourse than youth who had never used cigarettes. Sexual activity was reported by 80 percent of current smokers and 80.4 percent of former smokers compared to sexual experience being reported by a minority (41.4 percent) of those who had never smoked.
Significant evidence exists revealing that adolescents who have violent lives are likely to also be involved in sex and substance abuse. A study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health reported that eight percent of all students were considered fighters (those who had been in a fight in the last 30 days). However, those eight percent of students accounted for 25 percent of those who had sex with multiple partners.
Sun Damage To Skin Is Avoidable
The good news is that sun damage is avoidable, and if you start now, you can improve the condition of sun damaged skin.
* See your health care provider to assess the amount of sun damage you may have, and to rule out possible skin cancers. He or she may be able to prescribe medication that can help to reduce existing sun damage.
* If you want to avoid aging skin but don’t want to avoid the sun, make sure you use sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Choose sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher, and use it all year-round, even on cloudy days. Clouds do not protect you from ultraviolet ray exposure.
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